Hirsutism is not a disease, but rather it is a symptom, which may be a sign of other diseases or conditions that may be going on in the body. Hirsutism can also be nothing more than a hormonal imbalance. Hirsutism is also called androgenic hair, which appears to be body hair of a male. Some women have superfluous body hair, which is more of a cosmetic problem for women, and can be a psychological problem as well. Hirsutism is caused by an over production of androgens, which are the male hormones. The hair follicles can be stimulated by the androgens. Normally where women have light growth of hair, women with hirsutism have heavy growth. The androgens may also give other male characteristics, such as a deep voice, like that of a man. Many women who have this characteristic also have an increased muscle mass. You may see women sometimes that look masculine. It is caused by the male hormones that dominate the body’s functions over-all.
The male hormone that causes hair growth is testosterone, which in women can interfere with insulin levels. A constant state of hyperinsulinism will in many cases cause women to become obese, as well as make menstrual periods irregular, and even cause the monthly period to cease. As a result the women affected become larger, heaver and hairier. It is believed that high levels of insulin stimulate the ovaries to produce androgens. Some women are so affected that they grow hair on their chests.
Women with superfluous hair growth may have this symptom due to other medical problems going on in the body, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, Cushing’s disease, tumors in the ovaries or congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Your doctor may not be very concerned about the presence of body hair, but if it is bothersome to you, you might want to make enough noise to your doctor to make him/her evaluate you for the presence of a serious medical condition. For the purpose of this article I spoke to my doctor about hirsutism. I asked her what she would tell her mother if she had unwanted hair. She said, “If there is no medical problem going on, and her only complaint was unwanted hair growth, I would tell her to shave or use a hair removal cream. I would not want to introduce hormones that may cause her to develop more problems than she has.”
I have hirsutism. It isn’t severe, but I am embarrassed about it. I started shaving my arms when my husband starting grasping me by the hairs on my arms, just for fun. I was embarrassed about it then, and I always notice the hair on other people’s arms. Some have only peach fuzz that I would die for! But since I have hair that stands out from my arms that I find very noticeable, I either shave or use a depilatory on them. I’ve talked to my friends about this problem, and they say I am probably the only one who really notices. I think that is mostly true, unless it is so severe that she looks burley! We women become sensitive to how we look because of what we consider normal. We don’t see models on TV with hairy arms, now do we? For those women who do have some degree of hirsutism, you are probably the only one to really notice your problem. No one other than my husband has ever brought my attention to it, but thankfully he isn’t my husband anymore.
I read in Wikipedia that making a tea made of spearmint leaves and drinking two cups of it a day for 5 days will decrease the androgen levels in women to minimize some of the hair growth. Wikipedia says, “The tea is made by pouring boiling water on 1 or 2 teaspoons of dried mint (the sort used for making mint sauce and is found in the herb department of any supermarket) and leaving it for 5-10 minutes before straining it and drinking the strained liquid. The five days are the follicular period of the menstrual cycle. It is best to take one cup in the morning and one at night to even out the effect throughout the day.” I don’t know if this remedy will work, but I am willing to give it a try. There are medications available that are used topically, but they don’t always work, and they are a bit pricey.
