 “
I have hairs on my lips, chin, chest, abdomen, arms and legs
like a male! I am
much embarrassed to go to the college. Mummy!! Do something
for me!”
“I tried hair remover, bleaching the hair comes with
in a couple of day! Laser is
ideal?”
 Unwanted,
Excessive hair growth in wrong places is a frequent and common
complaint among women nowadays. Hairiness over face, limbs,
chest and abdomen could be a heavy burden, both psychologically
and socially, since society sets impossibly high standards
for feminine beauty. They feel bad about themselves and could
do little by plucking, applying depilatories and embarking
huge money in waxing, electrolysis and laser treatment. Medical
term “Hirsutism” is applied for abnormal hair
growth, is neither a disease nor, in most cases, a sign of
a disease.
Why the hair grows?
Apparently hairless skin may be covered with
short, soft, usually colorless hairs, called vellus hairs.
Hair growth may be considered abnormal in a woman when these
fine hairs are replaced by longer, coarser terminal hairs
in areas associated with male hair growth patterns—the
moustache, beard and sideburn areas, as well as the chest,
abdomen, back, upper thighs or upper arms.
Several hormones are responsible for controlling
hair growth. The most important is Testosterone, one of a
group of hormones called Androgens, which are responsible
for "male" characteristics such as hair patterns
and deeper voices. Hirsutism occurs when hair follicles become
unusually sensitive to normal androgen levels in the blood,
or when Androgen levels rise. The growth of facial hair in
many postmenopausal women is due to the drop in levels of
the female hormone Oestrogen that occurs during menopause.
This decline alters the Oestrogen-Testosterone balance, causing
a relative excess of Testosterone. Heredity also determines
the amount and distribution of body hair. So woman's hair-growth
pattern compares to that of her sisters is a key factor in
diagnosing hirsutism.
Reasons for hair loss
How to tackle?
Clinically in most cases, hirsutism is a sign
of a disease. Sudden or severe hirsutism in teenaged girls,
however, does require medical attention, especially if accompanied
by menstrual irregularities or signs of increased Androgen
levels, such as female pattern baldness or a deepening of
the voice. In these cases, a physician will look for possible
underlying causes, including Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease,
Adrenal gland disorders and adrenal or ovarian tumors. Drugs
that have an androgen effect, such as the drugs used in modern
medicine to treat Endometriosis, Fibrocystic breast disease,
Epilepsy and even Oral Contraceptives, can also cause hirsutism.
Among these disorders outburst of Poly Cystic
Ovarian Disease is a hidden epidemic recently. Usually these
hirsute girls present scanty, irregular periods, pimples,
and obesity hair loss as additional symptoms. Poly Cystic
Ovarian Disease patients ovulate rarely, thus it becomes a
primary cause for Infertility in many women. A simple blood
test for study of serum Testosterone and cortisol level with
an ultra sonogram study for abdomen would make fine differential
diagnosis. Obese patients require Thyroid profile and insulin
to rule out Hypothyroidism and Insulin resistance.
Hirsutism is a sign of a disease, so it seeks
drugs that help to reduce Androgen levels and physical removal
could not solve the problem. In modern Medicine, hormonal
therapy fails to establish a “cure” in hirsutism,
because the approach is up to the disease level alone, Anti
androgenic preparations or replacement therapy will not root
the problem. More over it provokes the existing hormonal imbalance.
Homoeopathic medicines have dynamic action in revitalization
and regulation. Clinical trials had proved that many case
of Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease had shown wonderful recovery
and drastic fall in Serum Testosterone level. Hair growth
had shown decline and had been confirmed by clinical investigations
of Serum Testosterone level. The hydra headed problems of
Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease, Female pattern baldness, Obesity,
Acne, Hypothyroidism and Infertility also responded well.
Homoeopathic medicines are not prescribed on
disease name as always the other systems do. The disease diagnosis
and clinical investigations are essential to know the prognosis
of the disease. While approaching a case we probe our further
study in studying the uncommon mental and physical symptoms
of a patient for individualization. Hence our system is a
wonderful application for hormonal imbalance of any kind.
No persons of the same complaints receive the
same medicine. The totality of symptoms varies from person
to person. In many occasions a well-selected remedy had rooted
all problems. This could be possible because the medicinal
action reaches the basic cause of a disease and roots it out.
When the hormone level falls down production
of new hair could be arrested, but do not eliminate existing
hair. The reason is the already stimulated vellus hair has
to finish its growth phase and takes up to six months normally.
Until then physical removal of unwanted hair is also necessary
for sometime
Dos and Don’ts
- Close shaving is probably the easiest and
safest. Avoiding stubble, however, requires daily shaving,
which can irritate the skin. Many people believe that shaving
would aggravate more hair growth and become dark. It is
not true because it depends upon the hormonal level and
a stimulated hair will finish its course.
- Depilatory creams dissolve hairs chemically
and leave no stubble, but they too can irritate the skin.
Bleaching makes hair less conspicuous but doesn't remove
it.
- Plucking and Waxing are painful. Tweezing
causes an increased blood supply to the tweezed hairs and
adjacent hairs causing an increase in the follicle structure.
- Electrolysis is another method, in which
electric current delivered through a needle destroys individual
hair follicles. While permanent and effective, electrolysis
is costly, time-consuming, and painful and can result in
nfection and scarring.
- Laser hair-removal is a faster and gentler
alternative to electrolysis. Results are long lasting; Patients
may experience stinging during treatment and a sunburn sensation
for a short period afterwards. Skin discoloration may also
occur, especially in dark-skinned patients.
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