How to Slow Hair Growth: Your Guide to Hirsutism

While many people worry about losing their hair, some face the opposite problem. Hirsutism is an illness that results in the excess growth of body hair on different parts of the body. It is usually found in women, and there is no known cause, but it can be a sign of other diseases.

Here we’ll take a look at some of the potential causes of hirsutism, how to slow hair growth from it, how to treat hirsutism, and what Hairy Hair can do to help if you’re losing your hair.

Overview of hirsutism

Hirsutism can cause you to grow coarse and dark hairs on areas of your body that you do not want, such as your upper lip and chin, chest and back, instead of fine hairs that are less obvious than what typically grows in these areas. Hirsutism distresses, but it can be cured.

Hirsutism typically manifests itself in women, although it can also happen in men. This is usually harder to discern from normal facial or body hair growth, though.

If you have a family history of conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), congenital adrenal hyperplasia or obesity, it can increase your chances of having hirsutism. Some ethnicities also have a higher chance of developing unwanted hair growth, such as:

• Mediterranean
• Hispanic
• South Asian
• Middle Eastern

StatPearls reports prevalence of hirsutism varies from 10% to 50% of the population. While it has no effect whatsoever on your physical health, it may cause emotional distress, irritation of the skin, and anxiety and depression disorders.

What are the symptoms and causes of hirsutism?

Symptoms

While dark hair growth is the main symptom of hirsutism, another symptom is virilisation. This is a condition where secondary sex characteristics of males start to develop because of high androgen levels. These are the group of sex hormones that help bring about puberty and allow for physical maturity.

Men have more androgens than women, so virilisation can cause some of the following:

• Deep voice
• Acne
• Increased muscle growth
• Higher sex drive
• Reduced breast size
• Clitoris enlargement (also known as clitoromegaly)

Causes

Hirsutism does not have causes in the majority of cases, but there are medical conditions that will cause hirsutism, such as conditions involving male hormones called androgens:

• High androgen production: High levels of androgens in women, or if hair follicles are more sensitive to these androgens it can cause hirsutism.

• PCOS: This is a hormonal condition that causes women to overproduce androgens. Other PCOS symptoms include weight gain, acne, abnormal menstruation, and fertility problems. This isn’t always the cause of hirsutism, but Current Pharmaceutical Design found that 70-80% of women with PCOS developed hirsutism.

• Postmenopause: After menopause has taken place, it can cause unwanted facial hair growth.

• Cushing’s syndrome: This occurs when your body has too much cortisol, which can impact organs relating to your hair. Other symptoms include weight gain in the face and high blood pressure (hypertension).

• Medications: Medications like anabolic steroids, testosterone, and minoxidil can cause hirsutism.

How do you diagnose hirsutism?

A physical exam is the first step in deciding if you have hirsutism or not. The doctor examines you for excess hair and other issues, like acne, that can occur with hirsutism.

Your physician might prescribe blood work following the test to make sure your hormone levels are okay. An ultrasound helps them see your ovaries and uterus more plainly. X-rays can be used to get a clearer picture of your ovaries and adrenal glands. It helps to make certain there are no other underlying problems.

What is the treatment for hirsutism?

There are a couple of ways that you can slow down hair growth related to hirsutism, including losing weight.

Weight loss

Weight loss is frequently recommended as an initial treatment. Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes found that losing just 5% of body weight can help reduce androgen levels and prevent excessive hair growth.

Medications

There are a number of medications that could be helpful with hirsutism, too much hair growth. These medications work by keeping hair from growing as fast. Birth control pills are a good option because they can reduce levels of androgens. These are hormones that lead to too much hair.

Apart from birth control pills, there are other drugs that reduce androgens in the body. One of them is spironolactone, which prevents new hair growth. Spironolactone functions like finasteride, a drug that blocks dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT miniaturises hair follicles on the scalp, and this can lead to hair loss.

A low-dose steroid can help to tackle overactive adrenal glands. Other options include medications to lower insulin since they also target androgens, but they can have significant side effects, so they aren’t advised as a starting treatment.

There are topical treatments that can also help slow hair growth, serving as an effective hair removal method. Eflornithine skin cream is applied to the affected areas to prevent hair from growing so fast. The treatment needs to be used consistently to see and maintain results.

Hair removal

There are also hair removal options that slow down hair growth by removing excess present hairs or killing some follicles. Electrolysis is one method to slow down the growth of new hair from follicles, but it might not be suitable for a large area since each follicle has to be treated individually.

Laser hair removal is also a method to destroy hair follicles since it targets cells with a lot of pigment. Waxing and shaving can also help remove the hair at the roots, but they need regular maintenance.

What should I do if I’m losing my hair?

Hirsutism can be a concerning condition for the majority of people. Excessive hair growth can cause emotional distress and require constant treatments to maintain control over it. A more common problem for many people is hair loss.

Treatments for hair loss can be tricky since many causes lead to baldness. Many diseases can also overlap to cause your hair loss, and it becomes challenging to have one solution that can strike at them simultaneously.

Hairy Hair offers a convenient treatment that comes in the form of a daily pill. With a powerful combination of ingredients, it has the potential to help promote faster hair growth and limit shedding.

The supplement acts as both a DHT blocker and a vasodilator. This is in order for it to work to widen the blood vessels in the scalp to allow a greater supply of oxygen and nutrients to reach your scalp. It is also fortified with nutrients to help produce keratin, the primary protein that makes up hair, and reduce inflammation.

The well-rounded treatment approach may give you a better chance to take control of your hair loss versus using a single treatment.

Fast hair growth and slow hair growth

Hirsutism will usually happen to women, and although it doesn’t hurt, it could be a sign that something else is going on in your body. Excessive hair growth can also cause distress.

If you’re seeking to slow hair growth due to hirsutism, you must speak with your medical provider. There are numerous treatments and medications available to assist you in combating these symptoms, and you want to find out if there is a condition behind them that you must address.

There are some people seeking to slow their hair growth, while others are seeking to grow it faster. If you’re worried about losing your hair, then get in touch with Hairy Hair today. All you need to do is fill in a brief online questionnaire to get started. From there, an expert will review your information to create a personalised treatment plan based on your individual hair loss.

A qualified Australian GP will then give you a call to explain your prescription to you and answer any questions you might have. Finally, your medication is sent right to your doorstep. That means no clinic visits are necessary, and you can benefit from our dedicated support team through every step of your journey to renewed hair and confidence from the comfort of your home.