Hirsutism

Definition

Hirsutism is the excessive growth of body hair and it usually found in women and children. This type of disease mostly occurs spontaneously but it may also occurs as a secondary disorder of various underlying diseases. In which, prognosis varies with the cause and the effectiveness of treatment.

Causes of Hirsutism

Idiopathic or familial hirsutism probably occur from a hereditary trait because the patient usually has a family history of the disorder. Causes of secondary hirsutism include:

• Endocrine abnormalities related to pituitary dysfunction such as acromegaly, precodous puberty
• Adrenaldysfunction such as Cushing's disease, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, or Cushing's syndrome
• Ovarian lesions such as polycystic ovary syndrome
• Iatrogenic factors such as the use of minoxidil, androgenic steroids, testosterone, diazoxide, glucocorticoids, and oral contraceptives

Another various causes that may be occur such as:

• Tumor or cancer of the adrenal gland
• Tumor or cancer of the ovary
• Hyperthecosis

Symptoms of Hirsutism

In which Hirsutism typically produces enlarged hair follicles as well as enlargement and hyperpigmentation of the hairs themselves. Hirsutism has various symptoms such as:

• The appearance of thick
• Pigmented hair in the beard area
• Upper back. shoulders
• Sternum
• Axillae, and pubic area

Another main symptoms of Frontotemporal scalp hair recession is often a coexisting condition. In which, the patterns of hirsutism vary greatly and depending on the patient's race and age. Because elderly women commonly show increased hair growth on the chin and upper lip.

In secondary hirsutism, symptoms of masculinization may appear such as:

• Deepening of the voice
• Increased muscle mass
• Increased size of genitalia
• Menstrual irregularity
• Decreased breast size

Treatment of Hirsutism

If you have this disease, then you should be use Possible treatments. In which the treatment of idiopathic hirsutism consists of eliminating excess hair by scissors, shaving, or depilatory creams, or removal of the entire hair shaft with tweezers or wax. Bleaching the hair with hydrogen peroxide may also provide satisfactory results.

• You can use the treatment such as Electrolysis, in which it can destroy hair bulbs permanently, but it works best when only a few hairs need to be removed.
• Hirsutism may be cause by elevated androgen levels. So for this treatment, it require low-dose dexamethasone or prednisone, oral contraceptives, or androgen receptor-competitive inhibitors, such as spironolactone, cyproterone acetate, or ctmetidine. But these drugs vary in effectiveness.
• Treatment of secondary hirsutism depends on the underlying disorder.
• There are another various treatments to remove unwanted hair such as Bleaching - lightening hair to make it less noticeable, Waxing - needs to be repeated every six weeks. The warm wax hardens on the skin and as it is stripped off, the hairs are pulled out with it from the roots.