What Causes Unwanted Hair Growth in Women?

Unwanted hair growth causes many women much irritation and embarrassment. The unwanted hair may be due to genetic factors or something more serious, such as a hormonal imbalance. Finding the cause of the excess hair is key to choosing the best strategy to tackle the problem. Read on to learn more about the causes of unwanted hair growth in women, as well as the treatment options available.

Identification

• Excessive hair growth in women is referred to as "hirsutism," and is characterized by the growth of long, coarse hair on areas of the body other than the head, such as the legs, face, underarms, arms, and back. A mild case of hirsutism can be caused by heredity or ethnic background, but more dramatic growth is often associated with hormonal imbalances. If a woman has a lot of hair on her arms and legs because of her Mediterranean background, for instance, this is called "hypertrichosis." This has nothing to do with hormone production; it is simply the way she was born. However, when the hair is present in other areas and is heavier and thicker, it is usually associated with androgen (male) hormones and represents a true case of hirsutism. Often this goes hand in hand with infertility or anovulation, but not always.

Significance

• For many women, dealing with unwanted hair is a daily struggle. Because it is not typical for a woman to have excessive hair in places such as the face and arms, women often find themselves seeking treatment to remove the hair, either temporarily or permanently. However, for women with severe hirsutism, it can be very difficult to find methods of hair removal that are affordable and effective. In addition, often hirsutism is accompanied with other female reproductive issues, which can cause problems regarding women's health and fertility.

Types

• Most cases of excessive hair growth in women are caused by too much androgen (male hormones) in the system. One of the more common causes for this is PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). PCOS is a disease consisting of ovarian hyperfunction that creates excess androgens. This also often causes a woman to be anovulatory and infertile. Adrenal hyperplasia is a less common cause; it is the excess secretion of androgens by the adrenal gland. There are also other abnormalities in androgen production that can cause hirsutism, the most common being the skin's increased conversion of testosterone to a more potent androgen called DHT (dihydrotestosterone). Lastly, some hormone replacement therapies can cause increased hair growth. Medications such as Estratest, danazol, anabolic steroids, and some birth control pills containing norgestrel are a few examples.

Features

• The main difference between severe hirsutism caused by hormone abnormalities and excessive hair growth caused by genetics or ethnicity is in different types of hair. In hirsutism, the hairs that appear are called "terminal hairs." These are long, coarse and usually very dark, and they are responsive to hormonal fluctuation. In cases of hypertrichosis (genetic excessive hair growth), the hairs are called "vellus hairs." Vellus hairs are short, fine and not as pigmented, and they do not respond to hormone influence. When a woman has excess androgen production, sometimes the vellus hairs on her body convert to terminal hairs and they can never be converted back. The only way to remove these hairs is with depilatory creams or other methods that remove the entire hair strand.

Prevention/Solution

• The method of treatment for excess hair growth is dependent on the cause. In rare cases, a tumor of the ovary or adrenal gland will cause the excess hormone production and surgical removal of the offending tumor may be enough to stop the unwanted hair growth. When the ovaries or adrenal gland are producing too much androgen because of hyperfunction, the hormonal suppression can be used. Birth control pills function to block ovulation and therefore, suppress the androgen production, and a medication called dexamethasone blocks excess androgen production in the adrenal gland. Finally, when hirsutism is present without abnormal blood hormone levels, treatment consists of reducing the more potent androgens in a woman's system with such hormone inhibitors such as flutamide and the herbal remedy saw palmetto. In addition, the diuretic spironolactone has been successful in treating hirsutism as well.

  Although hormone suppression therapy assists in slowing down the excess growth of body hair, once a woman has unwanted hair, the only way to get rid of the entire strand and stop the excess growth is with the use of depilatory creams, electrolysis or laser heating. A woman may also choose to use bleaching, waxing or shaving to remove these hairs or make them less noticeable, however, these methods do not remove the entire hair strand and do not inhibit or decrease regrowth.