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WHILE others worry about balding, some people are similarly in
distress for having excessive amount of hair on their face and body.
The medical term for excessive hair growth is hirsutism.
This condition in women appears in areas usually
seen in males (chin, upper lip, chest, areola, back) should be
differentiated from another medical condition called hypertrichosis,
which is the excessive hair growth that follows a normal pattern of
distribution. Although the approach to treatment is similar,
hirsutism needs more study compared with hypertrichosis. In this
column, I would be dealing more with hirsutism.
Hirsutism affects 15 percent of the general
women population. In most cases it is a benign condition and
primarily stems out from a cosmetic concern. However, when hirsutism
in women is accompanied by musculinizing signs and symptoms after
puberty, it may mean a more serious disorder such as an abnormal
growth or neoplasm. Fortunately though, this is rare.
It is then important that one is familiar with
signs of virilization (musculinizing signs and symptoms). Decrease
in breast size (atrophy), increased libido, temporary balding,
deepening of the voice, laryngeal hypertrophy and clitoromegaly are
some of the notable changes. If total testosterone levels rise above
200ng/dl, then there is a need for further tests.
Hirsutism is usually a symptom of androgen
excess. Some cases are idiopathic. Often it affects those taking the
following drugs: phenytoin, diazoxide, minoxidil, cyclosporine
progestagens or danazol. Another division includes those with an
identifiable endocrine or hormonal imbalance. PCOS or polycystic
ovary syndrome is the known cause in 80 percent of cases.
Several hormones affect hair growth. Androgen
has the most influence among all the hormones that can affect hair
growth. These hormones can increase growth rate and development of
hairs to make them terminal hairs (thick, black hairs). Different
areas of the skin demonstrate different sensitivity to androgens.
The axillary region (armpit) and lower pubic triangle (genital area)
need relatively low levels of androgen to develop terminal hair. The
chin, face, chest, lower abdomen and upper pelvic triangle (above
the genital area) need high levels of androgens. More next week.
For comments or suggestions, call 373-1558,
414-5880, (0920) 564-7635, or e-mail gc_beltran@yahoo.com.
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