Having some trouble with body and facial hair? If you’re noticing that you have an abnormal amount of hair on your face and other areas of your body, you may be suffering from the embarrassing and hairy condition known as hirsutism. Find out what you should know about this condition and what you can do to treat the problem.

When a woman experiences excessive growth of both facial and body hair, this is known as hirsutism. The most common signs of someone suffering from hirsutism include excessive hair growth on the upper lip, chin, arms, legs, chest, and even from the groin area down to the abdomen and thighs. While there is no definite cause, sometimes hirsutism can occur as a sign of an underlying medical disorder. Blood tests and the analysis of a person’s medical history are often used to rule out the condition.

There are a number of instances that can be responsible for a woman to undergo hirsutism. Many times it is inherited from other female relatives. In such individuals, the presence of testosterone - even in normal levels - can cause the hairs of someone with hirsutism, to become very sensitive, resulting in quicker and thicker growth. The excessive hair growth usually happens during the late teen years and gets more severe with time. Another factor may be due to culture. For example, women from Mediterranean countries are known for having more body and facial hair than women from other parts of the world.

The use of certain drugs can also cause hirsutism in some women. Examples of such drugs are: anabolic steroids, Minoxidil (blood pressure medication), Cyclosporin (medication used for arthritis and for patients who have undergone a kidney transplant), and Phenytoin (medication used for those with epilepsy).

For women with an over production of male hormones, hirsutism can develop as well. If the male hormones that are usually present in the ovary, fat, muscle tissue and adrenal glands tend to go into overdrive, hirsutism can occur. Blood tests and abdominal scans can diagnose this condition. Another condition, called Cogenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, which is hereditary, can also cause hirsutism to develop because of a problem with producing cortisol in the adrenal glands. The normal treatment for this condition involves the use of steroid tablets to replace the loss of cortisol within the body.

If you are suffering from hirsutism, there are a few cosmetic alternatives you can try out: bleaching, shaving, waxing, electrolysis, laser therapy, and depilatory creams. When those don’t work, you can also seek medical treatment through the use of tablets that can slow the growth of the hair, while making it thinner and less noticeable. The only downside to this treatment is that you’ll have to keep taking the tablets or else the hair will start to grow back excessively again.

As a last resort, you can set up a consultation with an endocrinologist (a specialist in hormone problems), who can help you figure out the right type of treatment for your condition.

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