Too much hair

A rare man complains that he has too much hair. But in women these complaints are frequent, when hair grows not where it is necessary. In this article, we will try to clarify three medical terms related to hair growth. Their meaning and the difference between them will help you understand the importance of excess hair in your particular case.

" Hirsutism " - this word with regard to women means the presence of hair due to hormonal disorders where they should not be. " Hypertrichosis " simply means too much hair in any place and in any person and is completely unrelated to hormones. How much hair you have, whether you are a man or a woman, this refers to a characteristic influenced by your racial and geographical origin. For example, women from the Mediterranean - Greek, Italian, Arab, Jewish - are more prone to hypertrichosis than Scandinavians. On the other hand, Asian women do not have this feature. So, if a certain light hair growth on the upper lip is familiar to the Italian, you will never see it on the face of a Chinese woman. The word " virilization ", as applied to a woman, means the process of masculinity, masculinity. When this happens, the voice of the woman becomes lower, the development of her muscles resembles a man's and the head can go bald. The clitoris also increases, like the sexual desire. Her hair begins to grow on her face. There is a loss of typical female features:

• Breasts decrease,
• Menstruation ceases,
• The vagina narrows and becomes dry.

Here you can be sure that hirsutism is a consequence of a significant hormonal imbalance .

There are several conditions in which a woman discovers excess hair growth, in terms of location and quantity.

Here are some of the most common.

Many women begin to grow facial hair during menopause , due to a decrease in the amount of estrogen produced in the ovaries. This condition can be treated, if there are no contraindications, by the substitution of estrogens.

Overly active adrenal glands forming an increased number of their hormones due to a benign or malignant tumor , cause hirsutism and virilization. The diagnosis is made by analyzing the blood and tomography of the adrenal region.

Cushing's syndrome , also the result of excessive formation of steroid hormones in the adrenal glands, has a similar effect. In addition to hirsutism, these patients have a moon-shaped face, and fat accumulates on the abdomen and on the back where they can develop a "bison hump".

Some types of ovarian cysts (and rarely tumors ) can, believe it or not, form a male hormone, testosterone. This leads to hair growth and virilization.

A pituitary tumor can cause a sharp enough shift in hormones to disrupt normal masculine-feminine balance. Such tumors usually cause acromegaly (gigantism), a condition that is characterized by an increase in the size of the jaw, hands and feet.

The medicine can out of you "make a man". Testosterone is often prescribed to women (usually in combination with estrogen) to relieve the symptoms of menopause and with the syndrome of "fatigue." While some women do benefit from it, others develop hirsutism, which is most evident in the growth of hair on the upper lip.

Minoxidil, used in the treatment of high blood pressure, as noted several years ago, causes hirsutism in women. Not too upset because of the side effect of one of their important medicines, experimental scientists suggested it as a means against baldness! So, if you take minoxidil (rogaine) to treat hypertension, notice hair growth where you do not need them, give what's left in the vial, to your bald husband and take something else to lower your blood pressure.

Symptom: Excessive hair growth