| Excess hair |
| Evaluation of Excessive Hair Growth (Hirsutism)
|
| Excessive hair growth (hirsutism) in women is usually
an undesirable symptom. It can often be associated with
infertility or irregular menstruation due to anovulation,
but many times it occurs with no menstrual or ovulatory
disturbance. Excessive hair growth (hirsutism) can make
a women take on masculine features and may be associated
with mild levels of "male-hormone" elevation
or even normal levels. |
| If I have a lot of hair on my body, does that
mean I have too much male hormone in my system? |
| The number of hairs per unit of skin is fixed by heredity.
The number and location of your sweat glands and hair follicles
is determined by your ethnic background. There are two
types of hairs: |
 vellus
hairs - short, fine nonpigmented hairs that have not responded
to hormones
terminal
hairs - long, coarse and pigmented hairs responsive to
hormonal influence |
| If genetically you have a lot of hairs all over your
arms and legs, such as in women of Mediterranean background,
this is called hypertrichosis. It is not due to too many
hormones but is just the way you were born. |
| Excess androgen hormones make terminal hairs heavier
and thicker. Sometimes they can also make the fine vellus
hairs convert to terminal hairs. Once the vellus hairs
convert, lowering the hormonal levels will not make them
go back to fine, vellus hairs. Once that happens, removal
of the hair by depilatory creams, waxing, sugaring; or
the entire follicle by electrolysis or Intense
Pulsed Light is the only way to stop the excess growth. |
| At The Cheshire Image Clinic we use the Energist Ultra Variable
Pulsed Light System to remove unwanted hair. |
