Facial hair
Hirsutism is excessive hair growth in certain areas of the body. It’s a problem that mainly affects women.
It’s relatively common, although some women may find it embarrassing or distressing to live with.
It’s often a long-term problem, but there are a number of treatments that can help keep it under control.
Symptoms of hirsutism
The excessive hair in hirsutism is usually thick and dark, rather than fine and fair.
- face
- neck
- chest
- tummy
- lower back
- buttocks
- thighs
You may also have some additional symptoms, such as oily skin, acne, a deep voice, irregular periods or no periods at all.
Causes of hirsutism
Hirsutism is caused by an excess of male hormones called androgens in your body, or by your body being more sensitive to these hormones.
In many cases, it’s not clear why this happens. Some women just seem to develop extra hair growth as they get older, particularly after the menopause.
In younger women, the most common cause is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that can cause irregular periods and fluid-filled sacs (cysts) on the ovaries.
Less common causes of hirsutism include:
- Cushing’s syndrome – a hormonal disorder that causes sudden weight gain and bloating around the face and neck
- congenital adrenal hyperplasia – an inherited condition affecting the adrenal glands, the glands above the kidneys that produce hormones
- obesity – losing weight may help improve the symptoms in these cases
- acromegaly – a condition in which the body produces too much growth hormone
- medicines – such as anabolic steroids, used by some people to build muscle and improve athletic performance
- a tumour (growth) – that increases the production of androgens and usually affects the ovaries or adrenal glands