Living with Hirsutism

Most women devote at least some time and money to personal grooming. Before putting on a bathing suit, the underarms, legs, pubic region, and sometimes even arms must be taken care of and made nearly hairless. However, for women living with hirsutism, this hair problem can be even worse.

Hirsutism is a problem that affects about 10% of American women to varying degrees. It refers to male-pattern hair growth in females due to genetics or hormone imbalance. Hirsutism can cause a woman to grow hair on her face, chest, and back that is not the normal, soft vellus hair that is normally on those spots in women.

Heredity plays a large part in the growth of unwanted hair. Different ethnicities naturally have more body hair than others, and this can also contribute to the color of the hair as well. Women from the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Asia tend to have more problems with idiopathic hirsutism than others. This means that there seems to be no identifiable cause or hormonal imbalance leading to the hair growth.

There are several medical issues that can cause hirsutism, including:

• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Cushing’s syndrome
• Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
• Tumors
• Medications
• Hormonal imbalance, such as excessive androgen

While there are several medicines and topical creams that you can use to lessen the appearance of hirsutism, two proven and permanent methods to remove your unwanted hair include electrolysis and laser hair removal.

Contact Us

For more information regarding laser hair removal therapy, as well as other skincare treatments, contact Austin cosmetic surgeon Dr. Apostolakis today at 512-329-8989.