Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Ways to Get Rid of Those Manly Hairs


By: Sashi

If you are a hirsute women and looking for treatment of excessive and facial body hair here you are at the threshold of experiencing a new phenomenon. Today, when people are looking for cure for baldness or hair removal, hirsutism has been causing stress for many women across the globe. Growth of long coarse hair on the face and body of women in a pattern similar to that found in men is termed as hirsutism. Hirsutism is the growth of excessive hair in women on parts of the body where hair is usually not found.

The exact cause of Hirsutism cannot be specified but dermatologists have concluded that it is primarily a result of hormonal imbalance. Abnormally high levels of androgens or male hormones are found in the blood of hirsute women. Androgens are present in both men and women, but men have much higher levels. These hormones cause hairs to change from vellus to terminal. Once a vellus hair has been transformed to the coarser terminal hair, it usually does not change back. Androgens also cause terminal hairs to grow faster and thicker. Both the ovaries and the adrenals produce androgens. To some degree, estrogens and progesterone, female hormones, prevent the effect of androgens. Hirsutism is sometimes an indication of a serious medical problem. It can also have cosmetic effects that may be very hard to manage psychologically. If you have hirsutism, you may feel very self-conscious, and this is a perfectly normal reaction.
It has been revealed that small quantities of androgens are normally made by both the ovaries and the adrenal glands in women. The adrenal glands are located above the kidneys. Adrenal androgens cause normal growth of pubic and axillary hair that comes before the onset of menstruation. It has generally been seen by that hirsutism usually occurs at puberty, that is, at the time of sexual development. If there is an abnormality in either your ovaries or adrenal glands, you may secrete excessive quantities of androgens and develop hirsutism before puberty. Pre-pubertal hirsutism may be the result of an inherited defect in hormone synthesis (the production of hormones) or an adrenal or ovarian malignancy (cancerous growth).

The treatment of hirsutism is carried out with an aim of correcting the root cause of the problem. If the problem of hirsutism is due to anovulation due to polycystic ovarian syndrome or infertility, the primary goal will be to induce ovulation. Steroids like dexamethasone or prednisone may also be prescribed in low doses if the adrenal gland is overactive. This medicine is usually taken at bedtime and serves to suppress production of the ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) hormone which stimulates the adrenal gland.
The effect of treatment is evident only after a period of six months and if the results are found to be effective it may be continued indefinitely with patience. However, terminal hairs that are already present will not fall out or disappear with hormonal therapy and must be removed by other hair removal means. Many women with mild hirsutism often opt for various hair removal methods such as shaving, depilatories, electrolysis and even laser hair removal.

If you are a hirsute woman, do undergo a thorough investigation for your androgen levels under the guidance of a qualified expert and then follow the given treatment in the prescribed manner to attain desired results.