Hypertrichosis (excessive hair growth) is a disease that manifests itself in excessive hair growth at certain places that are uncharacteristic for such an area of the skin integument: above the lips, on the stomach, chest, arms, back and chin. This disease can occur some time after birth and form in adulthood. It does not harm health, but it is considered an aesthetic defect. And yet, hypertrichosis - what is it, how is it manifested? This will be discussed later in the article.
How hair grows
“Vegetation” on the head and body is a completely natural phenomenon for any person. During fetal ripening of the fetus, hair growth occurs throughout the entire exterior of its skin. As a rule, by the stage of birth, these hairs disappear, and later they are replaced first by fluffy, and then terminal.
Every person has fluffy hair: they cover his body, grow on the face of women and children. Such hairs are normally soft and light, their length does not exceed 1.5 mm. Terminal hair is also considered the norm, but it has a different structure: darker and stiffer.
How hormones affect their growth
Androgens significantly affect the hair follicles, because the frequency of hair loss, growth and structure of the hairline depend on them. If there are any malfunctions with hormones in the body, then hypertrichosis may appear in women. The photo is presented below.
Androgens are able to affect the hair follicles throughout the body, but some of them are insensitive to these hormones - for example, cannon hair, eyelashes and eyebrows. Some, on the contrary, have very good sensitivity. It is precisely the influence of androgen that motivates the change of soft pubic hairs in children to hard ones during puberty.
Still such hormones have an effect on the growth of hair on the face and head in men, but have their own specifics. For example, in males, excess of testosterone can lead not only to increase, but also to hair loss. It should also be noted here that the formation of hair follicles in the back area in men is not always a problem of hypertrichosis. For all people, the performance of such hormones is different. Hence the conclusion that some have little hair, while others have a lot.
Hypertrichosis: signs
Such a disease develops in stages, that is, manifestations progressively increase. The patient begins to notice that the intense growth of cannon hairs dominates, while they grow along the entire surface of the body.
However, there are other symptoms that significantly reduce the quality of life. With inherited hypertrichosis, malaise is considered incurable, and it begins to develop immediately after birth. Increased hairiness in the baby spreads in the lumbar region, and tufts of long hair can be seen along the entire spine.
In children, hypertrichosis is inherited as a sign of irritability, nervousness, appetite, restless sleep, and poor mood. Caring parents need to pay special attention to such changes in the behavior of the child, immediately making an appointment with the local pediatrician.
The acquired nature of this disease also has its manifestations, which make themselves felt by the increased growth of hairs in the places of the sternum, nasolabial folds, on the limbs and pubis. In addition, hair also grows on birthmarks, in moles, representing a clear cosmetic defect. If you remove this "vegetation" yourself, then the signs of the disease can only worsen. So, neither the use of wax, nor laser hair removal, as well as other cosmetic measures without advance therapy, are shown or even contraindicated.
Types of disease
Hypertrichosis - what is it really? This is a very unpleasant ailment, which also has its own varieties. Depending on the symptomatology, degree and areas of hair growth, such a disease can be divided into 2 main types:
- continuous hairiness or general hypertrichosis;
- disease of certain areas of the body or local hypertrichosis.
Total hair
Hair grows throughout the human body. Often this kind of ailment is congenital. This happens for the reason when the germinal black hair is not replaced by light fluffy, but continues to form. In some cases, such "thickets" can reach up to 10 cm in length.
Hypertrichosis of some parts of the body
This type of disease is divided, in turn, into subspecies:
- Lumbar hypertrichosis in women and men. Soft, long and dark hair grows in the lumbar region. Along with this, it is often possible to observe neurological signs and non-closure of the spine (spinal dysraphia).
- Birth defects - nevi, plentifully covered with hairs. Such birthmarks can be light and black, reach different contours and sizes. There is the concept of Becker melanosis, and this disease manifests itself in the form of a large volume of nevus. The malaise is characterized by damage to the skin of an unchanged form, which pigments already in old age.
- Prothoracic (presternal hypertrichosis) - hair growth in the chest area.
What are the causes of the disease?
First of all, it must be borne in mind that malaise is acquired in various periods of life or is congenital. You can consider the main prerequisites for the formation of the disease:
- Hypertrichosis in children and adults as an indicator of cancer. There have been cases when the patient a few years before the detection of a malignant tumor appeared excess hair growth in certain areas of the body. This expression is associated with the mechanism of “revival” of hair follicles under the influence of various changes in the body.
- Genetic factor. During the development of the fetus, viral and bacterial infections may appear) that provoke genetic mutations. The structure of epithelial erythrocytes changes - they are transformed into cells with hair sacs. A simple gene is replaced by a mutated one, and as a result, hypertrichosis in women begins. The photo below demonstrates this disease.
- The effects of certain medications. It is believed that such an ailment can be caused by taking penicillins, cephalosporins, corticosteroids and streptomycin. The disease is formed as a side effect of the drug. In addition, under the influence of various substances used for medicinal purposes and enhancing the blood supply to the skin (therapeutic mud, mustard, hormonal ointment, paraffin), its injuries appear.
- Hypertrichosis - what is it, and what reasons still exist? It can also be a sign of other ailments: anorexia nervosa, mental disorders, fetal alcohol syndrome, porphyria, a consequence of craniocerebral injuries, dermatomyositis, defects in the development of the skeletal system (collapse of the vertebral arch).
- Excessive hair growth can be detected due to injuries of various areas of the body or constant thermal, mechanical irritation of the skin. In particular, the disease can form due to various burns, shaving, cryotherapy, in place of scars, depilation, and more. Even there is the concept of traumatic hypertrichosis, which is detected in some areas of the skin, while in other places there are no symptoms of excessive hair growth.
Diagnostics
Such a disease requires an integrated approach, where therapy should begin with a visit to a dermatologist, endocrinologist and gynecologist - these specialists give their conclusions. After this, it is necessary to perform a biochemical blood test, which will determine the hormonal background of the patient, as well as the stage of the main pathological process. If congenital hypertrichosis dominates, the photo of which is shown below, then according to laboratory analysis, we can draw a conclusion about the predominant ailment of the endocrine system.
In addition, the doctor must perform a visual examination and find out in detail the history of a characteristic disease. The patient's complaints indicate a major illness in the body. Special instrumental examinations are not needed. After establishing the correct diagnosis, therapy should begin in due time.
Hypertrichosis: treatment
The goal of drug therapy is to eliminate the causes of increased hair growth. To do this, you must follow all the instructions of a specialist who will prescribe symptomatic, hormonal and replacement treatment. The selection of hormonal drugs should be performed on an individual basis, and dosage adjustment will protect against severe health problems, as well as exacerbation of side effects.
In addition, certain cosmetic measures are necessary that will prevent and eliminate increased hairiness. You can also remove hair with the help of electric hair removal, specific depilatory agents, shaving and bleaching preparations. It is forbidden to remove them with a laser or wax, since such procedures only increase the symptoms.
Nevertheless, experts advise to produce electric hair removal, because they consider this method the most popular and effective. If the event becomes too painful, then it is allowed to perform under local anesthesia.
One way or another, the clinical conclusion is quite favorable, however, it is recommended to readers of this article to treat hypertrichosis (what it is, it is already known) in a timely manner.