“I have
hairs on my lips, chin, chest, abdomen, arms and legs like
a male! I am
much embarrassed to go to the college. Mummy!! Do something
for me!”
“I tried hair remover, bleaching the hair comes with
in a couple of day! Laser is
ideal?”
Unwanted, Excessive hair growth in wrong places is a frequent
and common complaint among women nowadays. Hairiness over
face, limbs, chest and abdomen could be a heavy burden, both
psychologically and socially, since society sets impossibly
high standards for feminine beauty. They feel bad about themselves
and could do little by plucking, applying depilatories and
embarking huge money in waxing, electrolysis and laser treatment.
Medical term “Hirsutism” is applied for abnormal
hair growth, is neither a disease nor, in most cases, a sign
of a disease.
Why the
hair grows?
Hair grows from hair follicles within the skin.
There are about 50 million hair follicles covering the body
of which one fifth is located in the scalp. Only the soles
and palms are free of hair follicles. As long as follicles
are not destroyed, hair continues to grow even if it is plucked,
depilated or removed in any other fashion.
Various hormones control hair growth.
Thyroid hormone and growth hormone affects hair growth. The
most important hormone controlling growth are "androgens"
commonly known as “male” hormones. Except in the
scalp, androgens cause hair to change from "vellus"
to "terminal". All women have terminal hair in some
parts of the body, specifically the scalp, pubic and axillary
area. A few hairs around the nipple or over the thighs may
be normal. “Hirsutism” or excess body hair in
women is the presence of thick, dark hair over the face, chest,
abdomen, upper thighs or upper arms. It occurs when the androgenic
hormone rises in some conditions.
The most important is Testosterone,
one of a group of hormones called Androgens, which are responsible
for "male" characteristics such as hair patterns
and deeper voices. Hirsutism occurs when hair follicles become
unusually sensitive to normal androgen levels in the blood,
or when Androgen levels rise.
Vellus
Hair |
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Terminal
Hair |
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What are the causes?
Clinically in most cases, hirsutism is a sign
of a disease. Sudden or severe hirsutism in teenaged girls,
however, does require medical attention, especially if accompanied
by menstrual irregularities or signs of increased Androgen
levels, such as female pattern baldness or a deepening of
the voice. In these cases, a physician will look for possible
underlying causes, including Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease,
Adrenal gland disorders and adrenal or ovarian tumors. Drugs
that have an androgen effect, such as the drugs used in modern
medicine to treat Endometriosis, Fibrocystic breast disease,
Epilepsy and even Oral contraceptives, can also cause hirsutism.
Hirsutism
is very common feature in Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease
The growth of facial
hair in many postmenopausal women is due to the drop in levels
of the female hormone Oestrogen that occurs during menopause.
This decline alters the Oestrogen-Testosterone balance, causing
a relative excess of Testosterone. Heredity also determines
the amount and distribution of body hair. So woman's hair-growth
pattern compares to that of her sisters is a key factor in
diagnosing hirsutism.
How
to tackle?
Among these disorders outburst of Poly Cystic
Ovarian Disease is a hidden epidemic recently. Usually these
hirsute girls present scanty, irregular periods, pimples,
and obesity hair loss as additional symptoms. Poly Cystic
Ovarian Disease patients ovulate rarely, thus it becomes a
primary cause for Infertility in many women. A simple blood
test for study of Serum Testosterone and cortisol level with
an ultra sonogram study for abdomen would make fine differential
diagnosis. Obese patients require Thyroid profile and insulin
to rule out Hypothyroidism and Insulin resistance.
Hirsutism is a sign of a disease,
so it seeks drugs that help to reduce Androgen levels and
physical removal could not solve the problem. In modern Medicine,
hormonal therapy fails to establish a “cure” in
hirsutism, because the approach is up to the disease level
alone, Anti androgenic preparations or replacement therapy
will not root the problem. More over it provokes the existing
hormonal imbalance. Homoeopathic medicines have dynamic action
in revitalization and regulation. Clinical trials had proved
that many case of Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease had shown wonderful
recovery and drastic fall in Serum Testosterone level. Hair
growth had shown decline and had been confirmed by clinical
investigations of Serum Testosterone level. The hydra headed
problems of Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease, Female pattern baldness,
Obesity, Acne, Hypothyroidism and Infertility also responded
well.
Homoeopathic medicines are not prescribed
on disease name as always the other systems do. The disease
diagnosis and clinical investigations are essential to know
the prognosis of the disease. While approaching a case we
probe our further study in studying the uncommon mental and
physical symptoms of a patient for individualization. Hence
our system is a wonderful application for hormonal imbalance
of any kind.
No persons of the same complaints
receive the same medicine. The totality of symptoms varies
from person to person. In many occasions a well-selected remedy
had rooted all problems. This could be possible because the
medicinal action reaches the basic cause of a disease and
roots it out.
When the hormone level falls down
production of new hair could be arrested, but do not eliminate
existing hair. The reason is the already stimulated vellus
hair has to finish its growth phase and takes up to six months
normally. Until then physical removal of unwanted hair is
also necessary for sometime.
Dos and
Don’ts
- Close shaving is probably the easiest and
safest. Avoiding stubble, however, requires daily shaving,
which can irritate the skin. Many people believe that shaving
would aggravate more hair growth and become dark. It is
not true because it depends upon the hormonal level and
a stimulated hair will finish its course. .
- Depilatory creams dissolve hairs chemically
and leave no stubble, but they too can irritate the skin.
Bleaching makes hair less conspicuous but doesn't remove
it.
- Plucking and Waxing are painful. Tweezing
causes an increased blood supply to the tweezed hairs and
adjacent hairs causing an increase in the follicle structure.
- Electrolysis is another method, in which
electric current delivered through a needle destroys individual
hair follicles. While permanent and effective, electrolysis
is costly, time-consuming, and painful and can result in
infection and scarring.
- Laser hair-removal is a faster and gentler
alternative to electrolysis. Results are long lasting; Patients
may experience stinging during treatment and a sunburn sensation
for a short period afterwards. Skin discoloration may also
occur, especially in dark-skinned patients.
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