Hirsutism is a severe endocrine disorder that affects women. Doctors call this disease "male type hair." The reasons for this deviation are many, therefore, the treatment of hirsutism should begin with a full examination and their identification. One of the most common is polycystic ovary or other disorders associated with ovarian activity. This may be hypothalamic amenorrhea, hypertosis - bilateral growth of some ovarian tissues, accompanied by high production of androgens. The cause of hirsutism can be androblastoma, chronic anovulation, a granulosa cell tumor arising from follicle cells or embryonic residues, causing the ovaries to produce an excess of androgens.
Hirsutism can be caused by chromosomal or genetic congenital abnormalities, menopause or puberty too early, pregnancy, hormonal imbalance caused by unknown reasons, swelling or hyperplasia of the adrenal cortex, hormonal drugs.
Having just become acquainted with this list, a competent person will understand that hair growth is only an external symptom. It is necessary to treat the very cause of the disease, but it must first be established. Therefore, you should not believe the so-called "healers", promising almost instantly to get rid of such an unpleasant disease as hirsutism. Treatment with folk remedies usually comes down to the manufacture of solutions for hair removal (for example, a decoction of lemon and sugar) or lightening hair (infusion of nut husks). The most controversial folk remedy for getting rid of hirsutism is, perhaps, an infusion of dope, which supposedly destroys hair follicles. You may be able to get rid of your hair for a while. But internal problems will remain. Only medicine can fix them.
So what to do if a woman suspects hirsutism? Treatment should begin with a consultation with a gynecologist. First, a specialist will conduct an external examination. In women suffering from this deviation, soft hairs on the body turn into stiff stubble, whiskers and a beard begin to grow. At a more advanced stage, the body becomes masculine, the clitoris increases, muscle mass grows involuntarily, and baldness of the temples appears. Internal examination usually shows that with this disease, vaginal lubrication ceases to be produced first, then the mammary glands are reduced.
But even after the doctor makes sure that all the signs correspond to the diagnosis of hirsutism, it is too early to start treatment. It is necessary to conduct analyzes. The doctor is simply obliged to conduct tests for testosterone. An excess of it may indicate the presence of a cancerous tumor or polycystic ovary. The presence / absence of an adrenal tumor is then determined by determining the percentage of serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) . Its excess can also cause hirsutism. Treatment, more precisely, research continues, checking the amount of androstenedione, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, gonadotropins and cortisone.
Only by analyzing all the results in the complex, you can make the final diagnosis of hirsutism. Treatment will be to eliminate the cause of hair growth. This can be an operation to remove a tumor of the ovary or adrenal gland, drug withdrawal, treatment of hyperthyroidism, Itsenko-Cushing's syndrome, acromegaly, etc. Only the elimination of internal causes will help get rid of hair growth.
Today, there is cosmetological assistance to those suffering from the hirsutism disease. Treatment is carried out in beauty institutes, large cosmetology clinics. Since it is strictly forbidden to pull out hair, shave, etc., laser epilation and laser hair removal are performed in these clinics. They destroy hair follicles. Unfortunately, such a procedure is very expensive, and eliminates only the external manifestations of the disease.