When a woman has hair that grows in excess in androgen dependent areas, this is called Hirsutism. This can be very dangerous and a sign of something more serious, such as a tumor. This is a problem that can begin at any age in women. The most common time for a female to start experiencing this is during the childbearing years.

It is also possible that you can start to experience this during the menopausal state. It usually shows signs with hair growing in places that it didn’t before and it thinning out in others. Places that hair growth can show itself is the lower back, breasts, neck and face.

There are two types of Hirsutism. One is androgen-dependent and the other is nonandrogen-dependent, which is drug induced. The first of the two comes from the overproduction of androgens. These are actually hormones for the male qualities in both sexes.

With this, you may find that your voice has gotten deeper, acne is more apparent and your breast tissue has decreased. Other possibilities are decreased androgen binding in the circulation and altered androgen metabolism. Each of these have their own symptoms.

Drug induced or nonandrogendependent Hirsutism has its own symptoms. They are induced by common drugs such as testosterone and danazol. Other drugs that are used are cyclosporine, phenytoin and diazoxide.

In order to check for this disorder, doctors will do a blood workup on the ovarian source and the DHEA-S. They may also do other tests, such as a prolactin or a 17-OH. The results of these tests will help the doctors to decide on the treatment.

The two different types of treatments that are used are the measuring targeting local manifestations of hirsutism and also pharmacologic therapy for the underlying causes. There are many different methods that one can use to get rid of the unwanted hair growth.

It is important to speak with your doctor before using any type of cream in case your skin is sensitive. Shaving is generally the safest and easiest solution to be rid of the unwanted hair. It may not be permanent but you won’t have to be embarrassed by it.