Hirsutism

Overview

Hirsutism is when a woman has excessive hair growth. The hair is normally thick and dark and grows on the face ( the upper lip and chin), chest, lower back, buttocks.
Hirsutism is caused by an excess of male sex hormones called androgens or an increased sensitivity to androgens. In most cases, this is caused by polycystic ovary syndrome.

Symptoms

Hirsutism may affect one to three women in every 20 who have not yet started the menopause (when a woman’s periods stop).
After the menopause, the change in the balance of hormones can make excess hair more common. Up to three quarters of older women may have slightly increased facial hair. Hirsutism in post-menopausal women is also known as ovarian hyperthecosis.

Causes

Hirsutism is caused by male sex hormones (chemicals produced by the body) called androgens. Androgens are present in all women, but those with hirsutism have either:

an increased production of androgens, or
an increased sensitivity to androgens

Androgens:

There are several different types of androgens. The most well-known is testosterone. In men, testosterone is involved in making sperm and in the development of male sexual characteristics, such as the voice getting deeper. Testosterone is also found in small amounts in women, where it may:

increase your libido (sex drive)
affect your menstrual cycle (your periods)
affect your fertility

Testosterone levels may be normal in around half of all women with hirsutism.

Other androgens include:

dehydroepiandrosterone
androstenedione

These are precursors of testosterone, which means they will go on to become testosterone.

The causes of hirsutism varies in women, depending on whether they are premenopausal or menopausal.

Premenopausal women:

Premenopausal means before you have started the menopause (when a woman’s periods stop). There are a number of different causes that may explain hirsutism in premenopausal women.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – Most of the excess androgen activity in premenopausal women is because of an underlying condition known as polycystic ovary syndrom (PCOS). PCOS is a condition in which women have a number of small cysts (fluid-filled sacs) around the edge of their ovaries (the pair of reproductive organs that produce eggs and sex hormones in females). As well as causing excessive hair growth, PCOS can also cause:

irregular periods
weight gain
acne

Many women with PCOS have an imbalance of male sex hormones, such as high levels of testosterone, but it is not known what causes this.

Increased sensitivity

Just under a quarter of premenopausal women with hirsutism have normal androgen levels. It is thought that if your androgen levels are normal, your hirsutism may be caused by an increased sensitivity to the androgens.

This means although you have the same amount of these hormones, you are more sensitive to them and they have a greater effect on your body.

Other causes

In a small number of cases, hirsutism in premenopausal women may be caused by:

Cushing’s syndrome – a rare hormonal disorder that causes sudden weight gain and bloating around the chest and stomach
congenital adrenal hyperplasia – an inherited condition that affects the adrenal glands (two glands above the kidneys that produce steroid hormones and male and female sex hormones)
a tumour (growth) that produces androgens
medicines – such as anabolic steroids (drugs that are often used illegally to build muscle and improve athletic performance)
acromegaly – a hormonal disorder that causes the body to produce too much growth hormone, causing abnormal growth of the hands and feet
being overweight or obesity – you will be advised to lose weight

In around 10% of cases of hirsutism, there are no obvious causes. This is known as idiopathic hirsutism.

Menopausal women

Menopausal women are those who have started the menopause (when a woman’s periods stop) and have not had a period for a year. During the menopause, several of your body’s hormones change, which can cause symptoms such as hot flushes.

In some women, as your hormone levels change, you will be left with a high amount of testosterone (an androgen), which can cause hirsutism. Hirsutism in post-menopausal women is also known as ovarian hyperthecosis.

Do

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Diet

Get screened for food allergies and sensitivities, and then avoid eating those foods you are allergic or sensitive to. Allergy testing, NAET

Increase liquids such as filtered water, fresh vegetable and fruit juices, and immune enhancing herbal teas like astragalus (a Chinese herb) or nettle (8-10 cups per day).

Drink water with the juice of one fresh squeezed lemon upon rising and before going to bed.

If your abscess is chronic, eat plenty of organic berries (fresh or frozen) or drink berry leaf teas.

Include plenty of steamed leafy green vegetables and sea vegetables into your diet to ensure a good supply of vitamins and minerals needed for healing.

Eat fresh pineapple, it contains bromelain, which is very effective at reducing inflammation.

Eliminate all stressor foods from your diet, especially refined sugars, fried foods and alcohol for at least two weeks.

The following all contribute to a poor diet and will slow down the healing process so also adhere to this list:

Do not consume any artificial sweeteners, such as Splenda, NutraSweet or Aspartame

Do not consume high fructose corn syrup or mono-sodium glutamate.

Do not drink any carbonated beverages.

Avoid all fast food restaurants.

Avoid all canned food.

Eliminate conventional dairy products. The best dairy products are raw, unpasteurised and homogenised dairy from grass fed cows. If this is unavailable, then buy organic dairy.

Avoid conventional beef. The best beef is organic grass fed beef.

www.grasslandbeef.com. The second best is organic meat; this includes beef, veal, lamb, chicken and turkey.

Supplements:

The following nutrients are useful for treating abscess and can be used in combination with each other: vitamin A (50,000 IU for two weeks), beta carotene (100,000 IU for two weeks), B-complex vitamin formula, vitamin C (5-10 grams daily), and zinc (60 mg daily for two weeks).
Take Alli-C (super powerful antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-parasite garlic capsules) – 4 capsules three times a day should be taken for the entire four months. 1 capsule is the equivalent to 40 cloves of garlic (without the breath to go with it).
Additional supplements that can be considered include liquid chlorophyll and proteolytic enzymes (taken on an empty stomach).

Take Vitamin D3 50,000-100,000 International Units a day for periods of 4 weeks at a time to fight infection in the body.
Take a good probiotic such as FiveLac – one packet three times a day to support healthy intestinal flora.
Wholefood supplements are the best way of ensuring your nutritional needs are met. The best we know on the market is Kevin Trudeau’s “KT Daily” product. You can find more details here

Prescription and non-prescription medication

What non-prescription and prescription drugs are you taking? Your non-prescription and prescription are partially the reason that you have this illness or disease – you need to get off these medications but do so only under the guidance of a licensed health care practitioner.

Mind

Ayurvedic Medicine

As always the fastest most effective way to receive tailored advice to your own situation, you should visit a local licensed practitioner. Find your closest Ayurvedic practitionershere.

Here are some remedies that your practitioner may suggest:

Turmeric: In some Indian communities, it was a common practice for women to apply a little turmeric to their faces or at least the portion extending between the ears to the chin. Besides being good for one’s complexion and the antibacterial effect, turmeric is also said to have the property of curbing hair growth.

Try this tip from Health.India.com: Make a fluid paste by soaking turmeric powder in water, apply to the facial area where you have excess hair and leave on for a few minutes. After it dries, use a cloth dipped in warm water to wipe away the turmeric and the hair, too.

Gram flour: Traditionally, women in many Indian homes regularly used a face pack made by mixing gram flour or besan with turmeric. This was said to have the ability to remove the excess hair on the face, particularly around the mouth and chin.

Try this tip from Health.India.com: Mix equal amounts of besan and turmeric and add a little water to make a thick paste. Apply to the problematic part of the face, leave on until it dries totally and then dip a cloth in warm water and use to rub off this face mask – you will find that along with the besan mixture, the strands of hair are also removed.

Alternatively, mix in a little curd or cream (malaai) to the besan-turmeric paste and apply for an equally effective hair removal remedy.

Sugar mix: With a home-made wax-like substance, it is possible to remove facial hair quite effectively; however, you need to be prepared for the process to get a little messy and maybe even painful when compared to the turmeric or besan face pack. The molten sugar in this recipe provides the stickiness; honey and lemon act as bleach as well as help to soothe the skin.

Try this tip from Health.India.com: Take about a tablespoon of sugar in a vessel, add in a teaspoon of honey and a few drops of lemon juice; heat this lightly or microwave for about 3 minutes and mix to get a smooth paste. When the paste is still slightly warm, apply it to the part of the face from where you need to pluck the hair. Cover the area with a strip of cloth and immediately pull the cloth in the direction opposite to that in which the hair is growing.

Egg mask: Yet another remedy that works to pull off the hair in an action similar to waxing is the egg mask. This is quite easy to try at home because all ingredients are easily available.

Try this tip from Health.India.com: Take the white of one egg, add in 1 tablespoon of sugar and half a tablespoon of corn flour. Beat to make a smooth paste and apply this to the portion of your face that has unwanted hair. Once it dries, it will take on the appearance of a thin mask covering your face; all you have to do is pull it off firmly and the hair will get pulled out, too.

You may have to keep repeating the treatment at regular intervals to see a difference that is noticeable. If you do not find relief even after trying these remedies on a regular basis, it is best to consult a doctor to find out if there is some other underlying medical problem that is causing the excessive growth of hair.

To receive bespoke advice based upon your own situation you should visit a local licensed practitioner. Find your closest Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners here.

Here are some remedies that your practitioner may suggest:

Black cohosh

Dong Quai Root

Aromatherapy

Use 4 drops of essential oil per 25ml of carrier oil.

To ensure positive results, always check that the essential oil is a 100% pure plant distillation and that it comes from a reputable source.

Homeopathic Medicine

Owing to the principles behind homeopathy (link to full description of what it is) it is essential you see a licensed practitioner to receive your own personalised prescription. Find your closest Homeopath here.

Here are some remedies that your practitioner may suggest:

Unwanted and or excessive hair growth depends upon several different factors. Therefore, the best way to treat above condition is to control these factors.

Here is a list of homeopathic medicines which are mostly used in treating the facial hair and other parts excessive hair growth. Select the most matching medicine. For further reading, consult the Materia Medica. In case of any confusion, consult your physician.

Homeopathic Treatment:

THUJA OCC

SABAL SERRULATA

MEDORRHINUM

THYROIDINUM

SEPIA OFF

IGNATIA AMMARA

Herbs

Other

Honey: Make a paste using 1 fresh lemon and 4 teaspoon of honey. Apply this paste on the direction of hair growth. You can use this mask daily and will notice the difference in about a month’s time.

Ant Egg Oil: This method has been used for hundreds of years in middle east but unfortunately is not very well known in Europe or other parts of the world.

Exercise:

Yoga – The physical postures and breathing exercises comprising the practice of yoga have long been proven by scientific research to promote feelings of relaxation while simultaneously strengthening the body. Research conducted since the 1970s has shown that regular yoga practice not only relieves stress, and stressful emotions such as anxiety and depression, but also improves blood pressure rates and overall cardiovascular health. Yoga is also effective for reducing pain, improving gastrointestinal and respiratory function, and for improving cognitive function and enhancing sight and hearing.

Note: If you are just beginning to explore yoga, it is recommended that you initially do so under the guidance of a trained yoga instructor who can guide you to become aware of the subtleties involved in each yoga posture as well as the corresponding method of breathing.

Qigong – Is a wonderful form of exercise, breath work and meditation to relieve stress and tension in the body. See article section for more information about the art of qigong.