Hirsutism in women: photo, treatment, and reviews

Hirsutism in women - not just cosmetic problem, because the presence of excessive hair growth indicates the presence of female certain body sufficiently serious pathological processes requiring appropriate correction by endocrinologist and gynecologist.

If hirsutism in androgen-dependent areas (thighs, back, abdomen, chest, face, area around the areola) observed pigmented rough stem the growth of hair. It is tied to certain areas increased hair growth allows us to differentiate hirsutism from hypertrichosis, in which there is excessive hair growth in androgen-independent areas.

What it is?

Hirsutism - excessive growth of body hair is women of male type, in which the affected area includes both the limbs and trunk, and face (chin, neck, cheeks, nasolabial folds).

Causes of

Due to the impact of a number of certain factors, non-pigmented thin soft vellus hair, transformed into a pigmented, hard and long. The main causes include idiopathic hirsutism excess androgen, side effects of drugs, a hereditary factor and hyperandrogenism.

hair growth of male type on a woman's body is triggered:

1. Diseases of the adrenal glands.
2. Usher syndrome, Thiers and diabetes, which are often associated with each other.
3. Menopause, when the reduced production of female hormone estrogen.
4. Ovarian disease - polycystic, cancer or benign tumors. By hirsutism causes hormonal function in these pathologies.
5. Abnormalities in the thyroid gland.
6. Obesity and other metabolic disorders.
7. Abnormalities of the adrenal glands - hyperplasia of cortical tumors, Cushing's syndrome, Addison's disease. The adrenal cortex produces the male sex hormones, so these diseases can trigger hirsutism.
8. Diseases of liver or kidneys.
9. Pituitary disease - a syndrome of Morgagni-Stewart-Morel and others. Pituitary or pineal gland, regulates the endocrine system, so hormonal imbalance develops in the functional disorders of the body.
10. Heredity - in this case, hormonal disorders may or may not be, and intense growth of hair laid genetically.

When the cause of hirsutism can be a long or incorrect use of medicinal products that affect hormones. Among them, cortisone, cyclosporin, interferon, prednisone, preparations on the basis of androgens, such as anabolics.

Classification

Classification of diseases is conditional enough. You can divide the form of hirsutism in the following groups:

constitutional	hereditary, in which the concentration of androgen remains within the normal range, despite the increased body growth of body hair or face;
idiopathic	at elevated testosterone conversion to its metabolites accompanying normal level of androgens and the etiology is not detected;
exogenous	complication of any disease of the endocrine system. It is adrenal or ovarian origin.

Many doctors do not consider the constitutional form of the true hirsutism, calling her hypertrichosis.

The symptoms of hirsutism

The main manifestation of hirsutism in women - male pattern hair distribution, in other words, the growth of short-pigmented coarse hair on the buttocks, inner thighs, abdomen, back, around the areola of the mammary glands, breast and face.

Due to the increasing level of androgens in women occurs alopecia, increased greasiness of hair and skin, acne. Hirsutism often accompany certain disorders of menstrual function (amenorrhea, irregular menstruation) and infertility.

What is hirsutism: photo

As the further course of hirsutism due to hyperandrogenism in women may experience signs of virilization (masculine traits gain): breasts decrease in size, sex drive increases, the temples appear receding hairline, voice coarsens, increases muscle mass, localized fat deposits on the body of male type. Female sex organs are also undergoing some changes: the formation of vaginal lubrication ceases labia are reduced, increasing the clitoris.

complications

In the process of the disease and its further treatment, hirsutism can lead to various complications. Most often, women suffer from folliculitis in which the hair follicles become inflamed. Symptoms of complications persist for 3-4 weeks, and during this time you can not produce hair removal on the affected area.

Many women, hirsutism patients are susceptible to depression and various mental disorders. Long-term course of the disease can cause menstrual dysfunction, uterine bleeding and other abnormalities. During hirsutism together with PCOS often leads to diabetes.

Diagnostics

To confirm the diagnosis of hirsutism the patient need to donate blood for her studies on the subject of concentration in it:

1. testosterone;
2. cortisol;
3. dehydroepiandrosterone;
4. Androstenedione.

Subsequently the results obtained are used to determine the cause of arising pathologies:

1. The increased amount of testosterone is usually associated with the presence of tumors. In this case, the assigned additional examination including ovarian ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and adrenal glands. The event aims to detect a tumor.
2. Dehydroepiandrosterone is an indicator of the adrenal glands.
3. Cortisol is a large amount of his warning of the possible presence of Cushing's syndrome.

This should be considered when setting the diagnosis of hirsutism:

1. The development of the disease, how the growth of body hair: fast or not, whether the weight is held menstruation increases;
2. The composition of the medications that she takes;
3. It is necessary to fully clarify all of the menstrual regularity.

To investigate the cause of hirsutism is necessary to conduct tests to determine the composition of the hormone in the blood:

1. Testosterone can be increased by the use of contraceptives;
2. Androstenedione overstated if there is ovarian disease;
3. In the presence of the syndrome Cushing, you need to determine cortisol;
4. Composition gonadotropin overestimated when polikstoza ovarian disease.

To determine the cause of hirsutism need to do an ultrasound.

How to treat hirsutism?

Treatment of hirsutism in women in each particular case may have their own characteristics. This is due to the fact that he hirsutism - usually a manifestation of other pathologies, which are to be cured. It is important to determine the nature of the excess hair growth. Diagnosis and treatment of patients with hirsutism usually engaged endocrinologist. If there are clear violations of ovarian level, as a physician and a gynecologist can act.

During treatment, you may also need the help of the following experts:

• dermatologist - to determine the nature of hair growth and the exclusion of certain skin pathologies;
• therapist - to do business with underlying chronic disease patients;
• surgeon or oncologist - for the treatment of neoplastic processes, which can cause hormonal imbalance;
• beautician - to select the optimal method of removal of existing hair.

Mild hair distribution, when a woman does not have abnormalities in the menstrual cycle, the state of therapy is not required. Since the excessive growth of hair on a woman's face - it's just a symptom, a manifestation of a more serious pathology, then the treatment should be aimed at eliminating the primary disease etiological causes:

• treatment of the syndrome Cushing's, acromegaly;
• removal of the drug, which provoked hairiness person;
• removal of tumors of the ovaries, adrenals, or pituitary.

Drug treatment of patients with hirsutism usually involves the use of several groups of drugs that can affect the production of male and female sex hormones. Upon detection of tumors is first carried out to remove them, and only then is assigned hormonal drug correction.

One option for drug treatment is dexamethasone. This drug can inhibit the function of the adrenal cortex and therefore androgen production. The dose selected individually and, if necessary, change slowly to avoid possible complications.

There is also a fairly large group of drugs with proper anti-androgenic effect. The mechanism of action by blocking the enzymes responsible for the biochemical conversion of testosterone in the body. In most cases, their reception does not give testosterone to transform into an active form - 5-dihydrotestosterone. Thus, androgens can be released, and their concentration in the blood is increased, but the consequences their allocation (hirsutism, hair loss on the head of the male type, deepening of voice, etc.) are not appear.

cosmetic methods

How to get rid of facial hair in women? Cosmetic procedures can only reduce the appearance or completely remove existing hair, but the very reason for their growth, such therapy does not eliminate. It is therefore recommended is concomitant treatment with hormonal preparations:

1. Plucking - using special forceps removes hair follicle and skin treatment with an antiseptic. Carried out in the presence of a small amount of hair on the face. Regular self-plucking hair leads to skin ogrubevaniyu greater length hair and threatens future development of infection. Do not abuse this method.
2. Waxing or shaving - is acceptable as a method of hair removal on the legs, abdomen, back. When regrowth of terminal hair procedure is not prescribed, because it leads to the formation of scarring and risk of infection.
3. Clarification - for this use special compositions based on hydrogen peroxide and gidroperita which lead to discoloration of hair, making them imperceptible by depriving natural pigment. The technique is relevant if there are short, small hair, with mild hirsutism.
4. Photoepilation - effects on hair vysokoimulsnogo flashes of light (wavelength 400-1200 nm) is absorbed by melanin. Emitted during this thermal energy is a destructive effect on the hair follicle. The procedure is only effective in removing dark hair and has no effect on blond hair. The effect is maintained for 5 months.
5. Laser hair removal - the laser beam passes through and heats the hair cells that contain melanin, provoking the destruction of the hair follicle. Remove only those hairs that are in active growth, while not affecting the dormant bulbs. Therefore, to achieve the result it may take several treatments for 1-6 months. It refers to the most effective methods of influence on the hair and effective hair removal.

In the opinion, the last two methods are effective in the fight against unwanted hair, but in the presence of large amounts of hair are very costly way to deal with unwanted body hair, so it makes sense to only those processing if necessary and open parts of the body. We must remember that the growth of new hair cover procedures are not able to exert influence, so to treat the causes of hirsutism cosmetic techniques are useless.

Folk remedies

According to responses women as a supplement to the basic course of treatment of hirsutism folk remedies following can be used:

1. Juice walnuts. With green walnut peel and squeeze out the juice. This juice is applied to a cotton ball or gauze that is put on the hair growth area for 5 minutes. 1 - 2 sessions per day will usually lead to the fact that the hair stops growing. If the effect does not appear within 5 - 7 days of treatments, in this case a nut juice, is not likely to help.
2. Broth dope. Several plants (can be used as a whole, with the roots, but you need to wash them well), pour 1 liter of boiled water. Thereafter, water is brought to a boil and simmered hold 40 - 60 minutes, without adding more water. Then the broth was slowly cooled to room temperature, and the plants removed. Liquid rubbed the skin after hair removal 1 - 2 times a day. Means in any case do not use inside! If irritation to the skin or allergy symptoms better to renounce the use of Datura.
3. Sugar. 20 g sugar is dissolved in hot water (20 - 25 ml) and a pinch of citric acid. The mixture is cooked over low heat until it acquires a yellowish tint and slightly thickened. After the mixture was cooled slightly, it is used for depilation.
4. Lemon juice. In 200 ml of water and squeezed lemon half poured 20 - 25 g sugar. The mixture is simmered until about half of the liquid will boil. Thereafter, it is allowed to cool and applied to the skin with excessive hair growth. After 1 - 2 minutes, place is washed well with boiling water.

In all the above cases, the folk remedies are designed to work on the very skin and hair follicles. Thus, these tools are symptomatic. Even if the hair growth will slow, it will not solve the underlying problem. As noted above, in patients with hirsutism common morbid obesity, changes in facial features, changes in voice and other serious symptoms. That is why traditional medicine should be combined with hormone therapy, which will help to eliminate himself hormonal imbalance in the body.

Forecast

For a noticeable reduction of excessive hair growth may require 6-12 months of treatment. With long-term treatment of hirsutism outlook for the cessation of growth of new hair is good, and for the elimination of existing - doubtful. The goal of treatment of hirsutism - stop new hair growth process, rather than removing the old ones. After the appearance of coarse dark hair reduction of androgens will not affect the character of body hair. hirsutism treatment is not completely relieve from excessive hair growth, albeit slow their rate of growth.

Shaving hair is undesirable because this will lead to the need for daily shaving. Chemical products for hair removal often cause irritation to the skin, in the future may also need their daily use. Hair removal using wax provides a more prolonged effect compared to britom and chemical means. In patients with moderate hirsutism effectively bleaching the hair. Undesirable plucking long hair, because it often leads to scarring.

Radical additional measure - elektrolizis, causing the destruction of hair follicles (disadvantages - high cost, morbidity and long duration of the procedure). The best long-term results gives a combination of hormonal and other methods of treatment of hirsutism.