Treating male hair growth patterns in women begins with understanding the nature of the condition. Hirsutism is a troublesome condition that many women face involving male pattern hair growth. Women who have the condition seek various approaches to treating this condition, whether naturally or using manmade products.
What Causes Hirsutism
The causes of hirsutism vary from one woman to another. Male hormones or androgens in the bloodstream may cause the excess facial and body hair. Men have higher levels of androgens than women do, and these hormones are responsible in part for making thin hair coarse and thick.
Vellus hair is light and wispy while therminal hair is coarse and thick. When a woman has too many androgens in her system, the light vellus hair transforms into terminal hair. Excessive amounts of the hormone are not the only cause of the condition.
Female hormones estrogen and progesterone work somewhat to keep the androgens from affecting the female body. In some cases, these hormones are too low to be effective in keeping androgen hair growth under control.
Hormone Imbalances
Hormonal imbalances can be caused by any of the following conditions:
• Ovarian tumors can produce androgens, causing hirsutism in some women. A physician should check for a tumor if androgen levels are high.
• Genetic predisposition to the condition increases the risk of developing it. Women who have female family members with the conditions are more likely to develop the hair growth than those who do not.
• Adrenal gland disorders can cause male pattern hair growth in females. The adrenal glands produce androgens and they can go into overdrive if certain conditions like Cushing’s disease or adrenal tumors are present.
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome can cause hirsutism in some women. The syndrome makes the ovaries develop cysts, leading to the production of male hormones.
Treating Hirsutism
Treatments for hirsutism involve hormone therapy. The problem with this approach is the hairs do not go away even though the body may not produce more. The thick terminal hairs need to be removed. In addition, some patients may benefit from using prescription medication to treat the condition.
Medications used in the treatment plan can include:
• Dexamethasone is a steroid given in low doses.
• Prednisone is another low dose steroid.
The steroid medications keeps the body from producing too much ACTH, which is the hormone responsible for stimulating the adrenal gland.
Hair Removal for Hirsutism
Hair removal approaches vary according to the severity of the male pattern hair growth. Some women who have mild forms of the hormone disorder can benefit from using typical hair removal approaches including:
• Plucking
• Waxing
• Shaving
• Depilating creams
Thicker hair growth may require electrolysis, a permanent hair removal approach that removes the follicles one shaft at a time. Laser hair removal is another approach that offers great results for many women.
Removing male pattern hair growths is not very different from removing unwanted hair in general. The main obstacle is the coarseness and thickness of the hair.
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