Hirsutism in women: causes and treatment

What could be more terrible for a woman than excess hair that has become coarse, stiff and has begun to grow in places not intended for this? What are the causes of this disease, how does it manifest itself, are there effective methods of treatment or at least hair removal? This will be discussed below.

Hirsutism in women is a complex endocrine disease in which a woman’s body begins to produce excessive amounts of androgens - male sex hormones. In this case, not only the patient’s appearance suffers, but her entire body suffers.

Symptoms

Hair growth on the body “according to the male type”: on the chin, above the upper lip, chest, on the white line of the abdomen and back. The hair is rough and hard.
As a result of hormonal imbalance, the menstrual cycle fails.
Changes in the external genital organs, voice, sexual desire increases, which becomes painful for the patient.
Infertility, and even if pregnancy occurs, spontaneous abortion is often observed.

Prevention of hirsutism is almost impossible. The only thing you can try to avoid this disease by leading a healthy lifestyle and, if you detect the first signs, immediately consult a doctor.

And everyone in our family is like that!

Excessive hairiness in the wrong places is caused not only by the increased production of male sex hormones (androgens), but also by the hypersensitivity of the hair follicles to these hormones. The causes of such an anomaly can be very different, and they are determined using blood tests for hormones. To clarify the diagnosis, in some cases it is also necessary to do an ultrasound of the pelvic organs, CT, and MRI of the ovaries and adrenal glands.

However, the violent growth of unwanted hair is not always a symptom of some pathology. For example, if all the women in a girl’s family had extra hair, then with a high degree of probability she will also have familial, genetic hirsutism (although not necessarily). More often, dark-haired and dark-eyed women, in particular oriental beauties, suffer from this problem. But hirsutism also occurs in blondes. There is no hormonal imbalance that would explain the development of pathology in constitutional hirsutism. And all tests are normal. The same thing happens with so-called idiopathic hirsutism, in which the woman does not have any pathologies, but has excess hair, and in abundance.

Excess hair can legitimately come out on a woman’s face even during menopause. The reason is hormonal imbalance, when female hormones, after the extinction of sexual function, give way to male ones.

With familial and idiopathic hirsutism, as well as with the growth of excess hair after menopause, the doctor will not help. And all treatment consists of hair removal.

Women, take heart! What you need to know about androgens Read more

Treatment of hirsutism

Treatment of hirsutism, like any endocrine disease, begins first of all with diagnosis. It is very important to first find out whether it arose as a result of other disorders of the body or whether it was primary. It is also necessary to clarify the possibility and reality of a genetic factor.

For tumors of the adrenal glands and ovaries, surgery is indicated, depending on the specific situation, and a course of chemotherapy.

In cases where surgical intervention is not necessary, oral contraceptives are prescribed. They put the ovaries into a state of “hibernation”, therefore reducing the production of androgens. The choice of drug should be made by the doctor depending on the individual characteristics of the patient and the specificity of specific drugs.

It should be remembered that combined oral contraceptives are hormonal drugs that have serious side effects, so you should absolutely not take them without consulting a doctor!

How to speed up (increase) the growth of facial stubble

The beard, considered a symbol of masculinity in many cultures for centuries, is now increasingly becoming an element of individual style. In addition, it helps hide scars, burn marks and other visual defects. Having decided to grow a beard, many men unexpectedly face the problem of impaired hair growth in this area.

Men's facial hair begins to grow when they reach puberty. Growth rates depend largely on heredity, but there are a number of ways to speed up this process.

Balanced diet

The growth of hair and nails, as well as the condition of your skin, directly depend on the quality of your diet. Healthy food and proper drinking regimen help maintain the functioning of all systems of the human body. If your diet lacks vitamins A, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, D, E, H, this will definitely affect hair growth. You can fill the deficiency with the help of multivitamin complexes. The building material for hair is keratin protein, so increase your consumption of protein foods of both plant and animal origin.

Skin care

To prevent facial hair from growing, the skin must be kept clean, moisturized and exfoliated. You can “open” the pores of your face using a steam bath. Exfoliants will remove dead cells, which will prevent ingrown hairs. Moisturizers will keep your skin and hair follicles healthy. It is useful to use a facial massager, medicinal gels, ointments and shampoos, which will improve blood circulation and thereby help hair growth. You should not think that facial skin care is exclusively the prerogative of women. If you are concerned about uneven, slow and “wrong” hair growth, redness or flaking of the skin, do not neglect your morning lotions from a decoction of chamomile, thyme, celandine, yarrow and mint.

Emotional condition

Stress can weaken your hair, slow its growth and make it brittle. To prevent this from happening, it is important to control emotional stress, engage in relaxing physical exercises, yoga, and breathing exercises. Don't forget to pay attention to relaxation, favorite activities, communication with family and friends. This will have a positive effect on your overall health.

Dream

Say no to working at night. Sleeping at night helps the body naturally recover from daytime stress. It is at this time that all cells of the body are renewed, and facial hair growth accelerates. If you don't get enough sleep, stubble growth will slow down and hair quality will deteriorate.

Hormonal background

Facial hair begins to grow in men due to the action of testosterone. The higher its level, the faster the beard grows. An increase in testosterone in the blood is facilitated by vigorous physical exercise, eight hours of sleep, quitting smoking and drinking beer rich in phytohormones, related in molecular structure to female hormones. Testosterone preparations can only be taken as prescribed by a doctor! Young people should be aware that levels of this hormone naturally increase as they age, and they may just want to take their time to allow the beard to grow at the rate and thickness they desire.

Germination method

Whether shaving stimulates hair growth is controversial. If shaving is your daily routine, your hair won't grow faster all the time. However, if you take a break from shaving for a couple of weeks, and then shave thoroughly for two days in a row, you may notice that your hair grows faster over the next two weeks. This is called the germination method. In fact, the effect of it is quite insignificant, but shaving will most likely increase the thickness of the hair.

Caring for a Growing Beard

Facial hair, like scalp hair, requires care. Keep an eye on their condition: if the ends begin to split, take the time to go to the hairdresser to renew the shape of your beard. This will help confident and beautiful hair growth.

Filling in the blanks

For many men, facial hair grows quickly but unevenly. To solve this problem, there are cosmetic “hair thickeners”: a spray with keratin fibers or powder to match the color of the stubble. They help fill in gaps and give your facial hair a well-groomed look. However, like any cosmetics, these products must be removed at night and will have to be reapplied in the morning. Another problem is the accuracy of color matching and skills in using drugs.

HFE hair transplant

Often a man, tired of unsuccessfully growing a beard, gives up this activity halfway. Not everyone is ready for the sake of fashion or even a great desire to make such a lot of effort as described above, and not everyone has the time. Often the purely male factor of laziness comes into play. In addition, if there are not enough hair follicles on the face, stubble will either not appear at all or will appear with annoying gaps. If having a beard is important - whether for aesthetic, religious or some other reasons - you have to look for a quick and at the same time reliable way to obtain long-lasting thick hair. The answer to the question of how to accelerate the growth of facial stubble is offered by the HFE clinic: this is a transplant of your own hair from a donor site on the back of the head. The unique HFE hair transplant technique is painless and leaves no scars - unlike often advertised but scientifically outdated methods.

Specialists work with masterly precision, recreating the natural appearance of hair and the direction of its growth. In just one day, the clinic can transplant 2–3 thousand hair follicles, which are guaranteed to take root and, with proper care, give rise to healthy, strong facial hair. By monitoring your diet, daily routine, emotional state and hormonal levels, you will help the transplanted hair maintain its aesthetic appearance. Sign up for a consultation with a trichologist at HFE, and soon the problem of beard growth will be solved for you - once and for all!

Procedures for hirsutism in women

Shaving, bleaching, waxing. Many cosmetologists and doctors believe that in case of hirsutism, these procedures are strictly prohibited, since women's skin is very delicate, and such manipulations cause irritation, redness and inflammation, and this, in turn, provokes the appearance of even more hairs, as well as their ingrowth.
Depilatory creams are an acceptable method as they do not cause the above symptoms.
Laser hair removal and photoepilation are considered the most effective and harmless method, since they stop hair growth and do not cause inflammation or ingrown hairs.

The prognosis for hirsutism is not the most favorable; it is not possible to completely get rid of the disease. However, the patient can stop hair growth, thereby significantly improving her quality of life!

Related articles: Laser hair removal - contraindications

For a while or forever?

You can remove unnecessary vegetation from sight using depilation. But in this case, only the visible part of the hair is removed, and the hair follicle remains intact. Therefore, shaving, plucking, as well as bioepilation (using sugar syrup, resin or wax) bring the desired, but, alas, short-term effect.

The second method - hair removal (enzyme, laser, photo and other varieties) - allows you to act on the entire hair. After such procedures, unwanted vegetation either stops growing altogether or becomes much softer and thinner.

Home skin care

Home skin care is an integral part of the therapy for involutional skin changes during menopause. To solve the problem of hormonal aging of the skin, certain substances of plant origin are of particular interest - isoflavones, which exhibit estrogen-like properties. When applied cutaneously, they exhibit estrogen-like activity in relation to the skin, but do not affect the hormonal status of the body as a whole. They also have an antiandrogenic effect by blocking the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which is why isoflavones are included in acne treatment products.

Renophase laboratory (France) rightfully occupies one of the leading places in the modern cosmetology world and offers a wide selection of highly concentrated products for home care based on soy and wild yam. The preparations are easy to use, have a light texture, and their composition is as close as possible to professional products. Home care products are selected by a cosmetologist after consultation and skin diagnosis. The minimum set includes makeup remover (gel or milk), day and night cream, and eye cream.

The cosmetic line for home care Dermaheal (South Korea) contains dozens of different types of peptides, cytokines, growth factors, immunomodulators, which make it possible to stop and reverse the processes of biological and physiological aging of the skin. Penetration of active ingredients is carried out thanks to nanoencapsulation technology. When growth factors are introduced into mature skin, wrinkles are reduced due to the activation of the division of its own cells, skin elasticity increases due to the restoration of the synthesis of collagen, elastin, hyaluronic acid and other components of the extracellular matrix, the pH of the skin is normalized, as well as the function of the sebaceous glands.

In the arsenal of modern cosmetology there are methods and technologies that can help women of the “second transitional age” maintain healthy and beautiful skin. The combination of home care and professional procedures allows you to achieve excellent results in a relatively short time.

Influence of sport

Whatever you think, physical exercise also affects the condition of facial hair. This is how constant exercise affects testosterone levels, or rather raises them. Together with improving blood circulation and normalizing metabolism, this gives a stable effect. To put it simply, everything you need for your hair reaches its destination faster. Just don't be scared. If you don't want to go to the gym, don't go.

For a beard, five minutes of exercise every day and a walk of about an hour are enough. You see, there is no special stress, and the hair will begin to grow better. Is it hard to force yourself to go to training? Then THIS material will help you.

No stress

And it's no secret. Constant mental overload and stressful situations are directly responsible for hair loss. Accordingly, the growth rate has a similar effect. This is not surprising. Overload negatively affects all body systems, including the immune system. There are plenty of ways to relieve stress: meditation, yoga, evening walks, an interesting hobby, visiting a psychologist. Try what's closest to you. Surely this will help you get rid of worries, worries and finally relax.

Healthy eating rules

And here you will not hear a universal recipe. The advice is not that banal... they are known, but few people remember about them. However, this does not make them ineffective.

The body should not lack water. Lack of moisture slows down hair growth. But you need to drink water, not juices, tea or coffee. Clean water, approximately 1.5-2 liters per day.
The word “diet” is not entirely correct. Try to consume more proteins and vegetable fats. Why? This is due to the structure of the hair. It needs amino acids and fats. Therefore, we lean on fish, meat, legumes, nuts, eggs and vegetable oil.

A balanced diet means a thick and lush beard!

Don't forget about microelements and vitamins. Vegetation growth is influenced by vitamins A, C, E. Moreover, in combination.
“C” will strengthen the immune system and normalize capillary blood circulation. And this is exactly what the hair follicles need. We eat potatoes, cabbage, apples, tomatoes and oranges. Well, ascorbic acid
"E" is an interesting substance. The vitamin is responsible for the transport of oxygen and nutrients. If it is missing, the hair begins to split and break. Add nuts, green peas, olive or sunflower oil to your food.
Get used to it - sweets in large quantities are harmful. It is clear that it will be hard for a sweet tooth, but nothing can be done. Excess sugar will make your beard thin and limp. There is only one recipe: less sugar in tea or coffee, no soda and kilograms of sweets
Vitamin B complex. We emphasize – complex. For normal hair growth, you need thiamine, pyridoxine, and biotin, as well as folic acid and vitamins B3, B5. Keep in mind that the body receives these substances through food. All shampoos, gels and balms are, by and large, nonsense. They will not give the desired effect. Therefore, the diet should be varied: cereals, green vegetables, chicken, hazelnuts, cottage cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms and liver. By the way, nutritionists recommend eating bread. It turns out that yeast contains a large amount of B vitamins.
You can use complexes of minerals and vitamins, which are sold in pharmacies or sports stores. You just have to be careful. Such means may not be so harmless. Therefore, consult your doctor.

Patience and more patience

There really is no way without this. If your stubble was thick on day three, you wouldn't be reading this article. Let it be clear right away that you won’t be able to grow a beard quickly. In our business, it is important to understand that if you wake up and do not feel dense vegetation, you need to wait. There may be problems with something discussed above. Or maybe your hair grows slowly genetically.

By the way, be prepared for itching. Not yet? After 7-9 days from the last shave it will definitely appear. It will go away as the beard grows. To make your hair grow faster, you need to be distracted. If you remember the problem every hour, the wait will stretch to infinity. Go on vacation, go hiking with friends, and finally go to your mother-in-law, get carried away with something, you won’t notice how your beard has already grown.

Home and Medical Remedies

To get the full effect, we recommend trying folk recipes and special preparations. The first ones are safer and cannot cause serious harm:

Eucalyptus oil. The product is common and easy to buy at any pharmacy. Take one part oil and four parts water. You don't need hot water, liquid at room temperature is enough. We moisten the cotton wool with the mixture and apply the solution to the beard with light movements. There shouldn’t be any irritation, but if it does, stop using it;
Mustard and amla. Regular mustard powder will do. Mix three tablespoons plus 50-60 milliliters of amla oil to form a paste. In this form, the product is well applied to the face and left for about twenty minutes. The finished composition can be used within three days;
Cinnamon and lime. Use ground cinnamon, which must be mixed with lime juice: a spoonful of cinnamon for 2 tablespoons of juice. Apply the resulting paste onto the skin twice a day. Leave the mask for 20-25 minutes.

You can prepare more complex compositions, for example, using burdock oil or jojoba extract. If it’s difficult for you, buy ready-made products. Don't trust your grandfather's recipes? So it's time to turn to science. There are special drugs that stimulate hair growth. But we recommend using them only after consulting a doctor:

Minoxidil for beard. Don’t look at the fact that the drug was developed for scalp hair. It works equally with hair on the entire body. Minoxidil will help in situations where the hair is uneven - hair grows in separate areas. It’s not difficult to use: apply small amounts to the skin. The composition should be rubbed in with light massaging movements. But the concentration and duration of use should be determined by the doctor;
Hormonal drug "Finasteride". The composition and mode of action can be guessed by the name. The product increases the concentration of hormones. And since it is available in tablets, it affects hair follicles throughout the body. But you shouldn’t joke with hormonal drugs, so use only with a doctor’s prescription.

As a rule, you do not need to use all the recommendations given. This is an extra burden on the skin. Moreover, even 2-3 of them should help, to one degree or another. You shouldn't try everything on yourself. If problems persist, we recommend consulting a dermatologist. We hope that the material will help someone grow a gorgeous beard! Good luck!