About Back Hair

Back hair is a concern for some individuals, who may wonder what causes it to grow in the first place. Regardless of the causes of back hair growth, there are many methods of treatment or removal, either temporary or permanent, should it become a nuisance or source of personal embarrassment.

Causes of Back Hair

• Excessive hair otherwise known as hypertrichosis, particularly on one's back, may have many causes. These causes may be hereditary or be caused by something more serious like an underlying medical condition that may require treatment with medications or even surgery. It is necessary to assess the possible reasons for the excessive hair before deciding whether or not it's a problem that requires further attention and/or deciding on a method to treat the cause of or remove the excessive hair.

  Among the causes for excessive back hair is a condition called hirsutism, which is defined by American Heritage Medical Dictionary as the presence of excessive body and facial hair, especially in women. There are two types of hirsutism. Idiopathic hirsutism is generally inherited and the woman is typically healthy with normal menstrual periods and hormone levels. The secondary form of hirsutism could be caused by some of the following reasons: tumors or irregularities in the ovaries, pituitary gland and/or adrenal glands; use of male hormones; and insulin-related factors such as obesity.

  Excessive back hair can be a source of embarrassment; especially for women.

Medical Treatment of Underlying Conditions for Excessive Back Hair

• Means of removing or treating unwanted back hair depend on the cause. If it is determined that the excessive hair is a symptom of a larger medical concern, oftentimes treatment of the medical condition will abate the hair growth. Excessive hormones that can cause hair growth introduced by means of treatment for other medical conditions with testosterone or the use of drugs like minoxidil or steroids can be corrected by stopping or changing the dosing of the drugs. Excessive hormones manufactured by one's own body that can affect androgen hair growth including back hair can be adjusted by taking medications such as birth control pills, female hormones or male hormone suppressants. Removal of or shrinking of tumors may put the body on the correct path to normal hormone production. Treating diabetes related to obesity may also improve insulin levels, which can also affect the condition.

Temporary Methods of Removing Back Hair

• Back hair can be removed by a number of methods, including waxing, shaving, cutting, tweezing, sugaring, threading and the use of chemical depilatories that dissolve the hair. There also are sanding and exfoliating devices that rub the hair off the skin. All of these methods provide short-term removal of back hair.

Longer Term or Permanent Removal of Back Hair

• Laser and intense pulsed-light therapies provide the longest benefit from unwanted hair. Generally up to six treatments are required as hair grows in three phases. It is best to remove hair during the anagen (growth) phase when the hair pigment tends to be darkest. The darker pigmented hair is more susceptible to destruction with laser treatment because the laser light is absorbed into the darker pigmented hair, creating heat which destroys the hair, the hair matrix and the bulb at the base of the follicle. Not all hair follicles are in the anagen phase at the same time which is why many treatments are sometimes needed. Once a hair follicle is destroyed, the hair will not grow back, so it is a matter of treating each hair follicle during the anagen phase when it is most likely to be destroyed. Laser and intense pulsed-light therapies do not work on light-colored or gray hair.

Historical and Religious Significance of Hair Removal and Social Norms

• Hair and its popularity or unpopularity on certain regions of the body, even the head, has moved in and out of fashion throughout history. Different religions hold sacred hair on parts of the body while others admonish it. Removal of all hair is still a remedy for lice infestation in some countries and thought to be clean and healthy. Societies, cultures and classes have all had their say as to what is an acceptable amount of hair on the head and the body. For many people excess hair or the lack of hair on parts of the body can be a source of frustration and even low self-esteem. Hair or the lack of it can even make a social or political statement.