Hypertrichosis: causes, symptoms, treatment methods. Hypertrichosis: not only an aesthetic problem Hypertrichosis on the face in women

Hypertrichosis in women is manifested in the form of excessive hair growth where they should not be.

In this condition, the face (the area above the lip, chin), arms, abdomen, back, chest can be subjected to hair growth.

Such a pathology has a strong negative impact on the psychological and emotional state of a woman, and therefore requires immediate medical intervention.

Doctors identify several main causes of hypertrichosis in women:

genetic disorders, during the development of which hypertrichosis manifests itself as one of the symptoms of the underlying disease;
hormonal disruptions and metabolic disorders due to pregnancy, adolescence, menopause, pathologies of the endocrine glands;
severe disorders of the mental and psycho-emotional state;
the occurrence of tumors;
mechanical irritation of a local and long-term nature (shaving, depilation, pulling);
the presence of sexually transmitted diseases (syphilis);
the use of certain pharmacological agents.

signs

It is in women that the signs of hypertrichosis are especially visible:

chin hair (often especially coarse);
hairs between the nose and lip;
sprouting of hair on the chest, especially in the area of the mammary glands;
pronounced hair "stubble" on the arms and legs;
hair growth on the lower back, in the sacral region (in the form of a bundle), on the buttocks and pubis (abundant, male-type);
densely growing hairs on the bridge of the nose between the eyebrows leading to their visual fusion;
the appearance of moles with tufted hair.

Along with external manifestations, a symptom of hypertrichosis can be a loss of sensation in the limbs and their weakness.

In middle-aged women, the onset of abundant hair growth is often associated with serious health problems, in particular, oncological diseases, ringworm, and a traumatic brain injury that has not been diagnosed.

The main feature of hair growing in hypertrichosis is a special thickness, length and close proximity to each other, which outwardly resembles a patch of hair on the human body.

Photo

Signs of hypertrichosis in a woman - hair on the chin

Excessive hair on the arms

Is hypertrichosis inherited?

Given the probable causes of hypertrichosis, two types of it are distinguished:

Congenital (local and universal);
Acquired (cannon).

Congenital hypertrichosis is caused by gene mutation.

The reason for this can be infectious diseases transferred by the expectant mother (especially in the first weeks after conception), preeclampsia, the threat of abortion.

At the same time, the baby himself may not have problems with excessive “hairiness”, but since he becomes the carrier of the mutated gene, a similar disease may occur in representatives of the next generations. That is, hypertrichosis is inherited, and it is impossible to change this genetic feature of the body in any way.

Hypertrichosis can appear both immediately after birth and after several years (from two to seven). A congenital disease is often accompanied by pathologies of the nervous system, mental development, and developmental disorders of the teeth (dentia).

Today, over twenty forms of inherited hypertrichosis are known to science. The inheritance of this pathology has a number of patterns:

hypertrichosis, as a rule, manifests itself in each generation, if the genus already has a considerable number of descendants who have inherited "hairiness";
it can be transmitted by both mother and father;
the percentage of probability to receive such an “inheritance” is the same for both boys and girls;
with the transmission of the disease through the generation, the probability of inheritance is fifty percent.

Male-pattern hair growth in women is called hirsutism. amenable to treatment under the close supervision of an endocrinologist.

How to return elevated growth hormone to normal levels, read.

Contrary to popular belief that a lot of body hair in men is the norm, in fact, excessive hairiness in the stronger sex can indicate hormonal problems. This topic has been covered in detail.

Acquired hypertrichosis

Acquired hypertrichosis is also divided into forms:

Pushkova when already in a couple of months the hairs (embryonic) grow up to fifteen centimeters, first on the face, and then on the whole body (except for the palms and feet). In ninety-eight percent of cases, such manifestations portend (sometimes even many years in advance) future malignant neoplasms of various organs.
traumatic, which is localized in the area of scars, injuries and places that have been affected for a long time: ointment, plaster, various types of hair removal, applications (paraffin, mud, ozocerite), burns (after UV radiation or cryotherapy).
Medicinal- developing as a consequence of the use of drugs containing glucocorticosteroids, anabolic hormones.
neurogenic resulting from damage to the spinal cord or peripheral nerve.
symptomatic- which is a symptom in the development of tuberculosis, tumors, chromosomal and mental abnormalities, diabetes mellitus.

Treatment of hypertrichosis in women

For women, the problem of excessive hair growth is particularly acute, often accompanied by prolonged and serious depressive states.

That is why, at the first signs of hypertrichosis, you should immediately contact a general practitioner, who, in turn, will give a referral to highly specialized specialists (endocrinologist, gynecologist, dermatologist, and in case of psychological complications, also to a psychiatrist or neurologist).

It is such a comprehensive and complete examination that will help to identify the true cause of the disease and prescribe an effective treatment, which is selected purely individually for each patient.

Therapy will not help only in the case when congenital hypertrichosis is confirmed. In such a situation, a woman needs the help of a psychologist (psychiatrist) who would help her "accept" her own diagnosis, as well as a dermatologist to consider the possibility of hair removal.

In cases of acquired hypertrichosis, the problem is solved by eliminating the causes that caused it.

scrubbing the affected area of the skin;
paraffin applications;
wax depilation;
any mechanical methods of hair removal that affect the bulbs;
creams and ointments containing hormones or mercury;
massage;
X-ray irradiation.

Acceptable and effective is:

use of depilatory creams;
electrolysis;
electrophoresis with Lidaza ointment;
discoloration of fluffy hairs with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (20 ml), magnesium carbonate (10 g) and liquid soap (without dyes and fragrances), which is applied to the hairs and washed off after 25 minutes.

The synthesis of thyroid hormone can be checked by passing an analysis for. The article will discuss the functions of this hormone.

Due to the fact that hypertrichosis is a serious pathology, one should not take its manifestations lightly, trying to eliminate only the visible symptom “at any cost”. No matter how dense the vegetation is, before removing it, it is necessary to undergo a complete examination and entrust the issue of treatment to qualified specialists.

Causes and risk factors

Most often, genetic mutations lead to the development of hypertrichosis. Under their influence, the transformation of epithelial cells into epidermal cells occurs. Various negative factors that affect the body of a pregnant woman can provoke a mutation of genes. These include:

ionizing radiation;
some infectious diseases (flu, rubella, cytomegalovirus);
the use of alcoholic beverages, drugs;
smoking;
the use of drugs with a teratogenic effect.

Once a mutation occurs, it is fixed in the human genome and becomes capable of causing the development of hypertrichosis in subsequent generations. This makes it possible to attribute congenital hypertrichosis to the category of genetic diseases.

The results of scientific studies have shown that in 90% of cases, hypertrichosis precedes the formation of malignant neoplasms. Scientists explain this fact by the fact that in the period preceding the oncological process, certain hormonal and biochemical changes occur in the human body at the cellular level, which activate the activity of hair follicles.

Hypertrichosis, especially located on the face or exposed areas of the body, often leads to severe psychological problems in patients.

Other reasons for the development of hypertrichosis are:

long-term treatment with corticosteroids, penicillins, cephalosporins, streptomycins, psoralen;
traumatic brain injury;
bullous epidermolysis;
dermatomycosis;
anorexia nervosa;
nervous exhaustion;
skin injuries;
systematic pulling out of vellus hair;
some mental illnesses;
congenital malformations of the skeletal system (in particular, splitting of the vertebral arch);
diabetes;
alcoholism;
tuberculosis.

Forms of the disease

Depending on the cause, there are:

congenital hypertrichosis;
acquired hypertrichosis.

Congenital hypertrichosis can be local (affecting a small area of the body) or universal. In the latter case, almost the entire surface of the child's body is covered with hair.

Hypertrichosis affects people of both sexes and any age, and hair growth is observed absolutely on any part of the body.

Acquired hypertrichosis is also divided into several forms:

Fluffy hypertrichosis. It is characterized by the rapid growth of germinal hairs. In a few months, they can reach a length of 10-15 cm. Hair covers the entire surface of the human body, with the exception of the palms and soles. This form of the disease in 98% of cases is a harbinger of malignant tumors of the gall or bladder, uterus, large intestine, mammary glands, lungs.
Traumatic hypertrichosis. Pathological hair growth occurs in the area of scars, in the area of prolonged skin irritation with plaster casts, ointments, epilation, etc.
Medicinal hypertrichosis. It is observed as a side effect of long-term use of certain drugs.
Neurogenic hypertrichosis. Caused by damage to the spinal cord or peripheral nerves.
Symptomatic hypertrichosis. It appears as one of the symptoms of a number of pathologies (for example, tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus, neurofibromatosis, injuries of the central nervous system).

Symptoms

Congenital local hypertrichosis is characterized by the appearance of a hairy pigmented birthmark or "faun tuft" (a tuft of long hair in the sacrum).

Universal congenital hypertrichosis can manifest itself both from the birth of a child, and somewhat later (upon reaching 2–7 years). With him, the whole body is covered with long fluffy hair.

The acquired forms of hypertrichosis are mainly local in nature and are manifested by the appearance of a pathological zone of hair growth in a particular area of the skin. The only exception is acquired fluffy hypertrichosis, covering the entire surface of the body.

Diagnostics

Clinical manifestations of hypertrichosis make it easy to diagnose. Much more difficult to identify the cause.

With the appearance of excessive hair growth in newborns or children of the first years of life, it is necessary to conduct medical genetic counseling.

Most often, genetic mutations lead to the development of hypertrichosis.

With acquired hypertrichosis, the patient consults a dermatologist, endocrinologist, gynecologist, andrologist. A blood test is carried out for hormonal status, which allows for the differential diagnosis of hypertrichosis with hirsutism.

Treatment

Etiotropic treatment consists in the treatment of the disease that led to the development of hypertrichosis.

Symptomatic treatment of hypertrichosis consists of hair removal using electric depilation. Depending on the patient's pain threshold, the procedure can be performed both under local anesthesia and without it. A special needle is inserted into the hair follicle, through which an electric charge is then applied. As a result, the hair follicle is destroyed, and the hair falls out easily on its own. An electrolysis session lasts no more than 30 minutes. This method allows you to completely save the patient from the visible manifestations of hypertrichosis.

The disadvantages of electric depilation are the soreness of the technique, as well as the duration of the course of treatment. For example, to eliminate hypertrichosis of the chin, at least 60 procedures are required, performed throughout the year.

For children and adolescents, electric depilation is contraindicated. Correction of hypertrichosis in patients of these age groups is carried out with the help of chemical depilation using special creams. Also, the hairs are discolored by regularly wiping them with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution.

Possible complications and consequences

Hypertrichosis, especially located on the face or exposed areas of the body, often leads to severe psychological problems in patients. If left untreated, the problematic condition worsens and becomes the cause of persistent depressive conditions.

Forecast

With hypertrichosis, the prognosis for life is favorable.

The results of scientific studies have shown that in 90% of cases, hypertrichosis precedes the formation of malignant neoplasms.

Prevention

If one of the spouses suffers from hypertrichosis or cases of this pathology were observed in close relatives, a married couple is recommended to undergo medical genetic counseling at the stage of pregnancy planning.

To prevent congenital hypertrichosis, a pregnant woman should avoid exposure to adverse factors and be under medical supervision.

Prevention of acquired hypertrichosis consists in the timely detection and active treatment of diseases that can lead to excessive hair growth.

Video from YouTube on the topic of the article:

The symptoms of diseases that cause the absence of hair are unpleasant, but excessive pathological vegetation on the body is also unpleasant. Excessive hair growth can occur both in a newborn child and in an adult.

Hypertrichosis is a disease that manifests itself in excessive hair growth on unusual areas of the human body and does not correspond to the age, gender and ethnicity of the person. For example, hairy legs in a 30-year-old woman are normal, but their presence in an eight-year-old girl indicates a pathology. Or, for example, the hips covered with hair in Mediterranean women are considered the norm, in contrast to representatives of Asian countries. Hypertrichosis can occur in both men and women. In children, the disease develops in the same way as in adults.

There are several types of pathology:

Local hypertrichosis - hair growth on some specific areas of the body. It, in turn, is divided into:

lumbar - a bunch of long hair grows in the lumbar region;
prothoracic - excessive hairiness on the chest;
nevi are congenital malformations, which are birthmarks with a lot of hair on them, the hair color on nevi can be colorless and dark.

In women, hair growth may begin on the chin, in the auricles, in the zone of the nasolabial folds, on the limbs, chest, and external genital organs. On the pubis, women can develop male pattern hair. On the face, excess hair can be in the area of the eyebrows and form a fused eyebrow.

General hypertrichosis. In this case, there is excessive hair growth all over the body. As a rule, such total hair growth is congenital.

Hypertrichosis can be either congenital (immoderate hairiness from birth) or acquired (the appearance of signs of the disease at any time in life).

The following types of pathology are also distinguished:

heterogeneous hypertrichosis - in women, male pattern hairiness is manifested;
heterochromic - early appearance of excess hairiness in the area of \u200b\u200bthe armpits, pubis;
heterotropic - in areas where vellus hair grows, long pigmented hair begins to grow.

External manifestations in the form of hairiness are not enough to make a diagnosis of hypertrichosis. Diagnosis should be comprehensive, including a complete hormonal and dermatological examination. For diagnosis, an examination by a dermatologist, endocrinologist, gynecologist, oncologist is necessary. In the process of diagnosis, tests are given and a lot of research is carried out: blood to determine hormones, MRI, ultrasound, x-rays, etc.

It is necessary to exclude the hormonal cause of the pathology and the disease hirsutism (a disease inherent only in women). Doctors select methods of treatment in each individual case.

The treatment process depends on the cause of the disease. Treatment should begin with the elimination of the cause (if it was found) that caused hypertrichosis. After the cause is eliminated, as a rule, excessive hairiness disappears.

If hormonal disruptions and endocrine system disorders are not detected, then the patient's treatment consists in removing excess hair. The most reliable way to remove hair for men and women is electric, laser and photoepilation. To achieve the result, such procedures will have to be carried out repeatedly. Epilation will be ineffective if the cause of the disease is not eliminated.

Such procedures are contraindicated for children, therefore, for external correction of the disease, hair is bleached with hydrogen peroxide or depilatory creams are used.

Other methods of hair removal (eg, hair removal with tweezers, wax strips, shaving) may cause increased hair growth.

In women, the treatment and elimination of the external manifestation of the disease is more difficult than the treatment in men. Since for men, excessive vegetation (with the exception of total hypertrichosis) is not a problem, but for women it is completely unacceptable, because the hair on a woman's face is a huge aesthetic problem.

Even if the treatment was successful, all patients are advised to avoid various thermal procedures, cosmetic wraps and masks, long exposure to the sun and tanning.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for congenital hypertrichosis. But now there is a lot of research that can help avoid this disease in the future.

> > > > What is hypertrichosis?

- this is excessive hair growth in any parts of the body, including those where hair growth is not due to the action of androgens. Unlike hirsutism, which occurs only in women, hypertrichosis is diagnosed in both sexes in different age categories. The cause of hypertrichosis may be congenital mutations due to various adverse effects on the fetus during pregnancy. Hypertrichosis can develop with some diseases, as a result of TBI, with the use of a number of medications. Diagnosis of hypertrichosis involves a comprehensive dermatological and hormonal examination of the patient. Treatment depends on the etiology of hypertrichosis. Removal of excessively growing hair is possible by electrolysis.

General information

Causes of hypertrichosis

Genetic mutations in which the structure of epithelial cells changes and they acquire the ability to transform into epidermal cells are a common cause of hypertrichosis. Mutations lead to abnormal pregnancy, infectious diseases in the first trimester, then the mutated gene is fixed in the genome and causes hypertrichosis in subsequent generations.

Modern observations in the field of trichology suggest that the symptoms of hypertrichosis may appear due to the awakening of hair follicles, which is a harbinger of malignant tumors. Sometimes hypertrichosis is detected several years before the onset of a tumor, and in 90% of patients with hypertrichosis, various oncological processes are detected over time.

The use of drugs from the group of streptomycins, cephalosporins, penicillins, corticosteroids and psoralens have a side effect in the form of signs of hypertrichosis. Hypertrichosis is one of the symptoms of traumatic brain injury, ringworm, epidermolysis bullosa. With nervous exhaustion and anorexia nervosa, the symptoms of hypertrichosis can be especially pronounced.

After injuries, including thermal ones, local hypertrichosis can be observed at the site of the scar. At the same time, the rest of the body has normal hairline. Traumatic hypertrichosis can occur due to the constant pulling of hair in the facial area. As a result, vellus hair coarsens, becomes thicker and darker, their more pronounced growth is noted.

Malformations of the skeletal system, such as splitting of the vertebral arch and malformations of the psyche, are often combined with clinical manifestations of hypertrichosis.

Clinical manifestations of hypertrichosis

Hypertrichosis is manifested by excessive hair growth in places where it is not considered the norm, taking into account age, gender and ethnicity. Thus, the growth of hair on the legs and thighs in Mediterranean women is the norm. But the same manifestation in girls and representatives of Asian peoples is already a manifestation of hypertrichosis.

In men, hypertrichosis is manifested by excessive hair growth on the back and shoulders and is a symptom of atavism. In the form of atavism, hypertrichosis manifests itself immediately after birth. The baby has a large amount of long or vellus hair. In this case, the face and palms can also be covered with hair. Previously, such children were killed, but now hypertrichosis is treated quite successfully.

In children, hypertrichosis is more often diagnosed along with nevi. Limited hypertrichosis in children and adults may present as brow fusion. In men, hypertrichosis manifests as excess hair growth on the face, back, and legs.

Diagnosis and treatment of hypertrichosis

For an accurate diagnosis of hypertrichosis, manifestations alone are not enough. It is necessary to exclude the hormonal nature of the disease and hirsutism. In addition to visiting a dermatologist, you will need to be examined by an endocrinologist and a gynecologist. As a result, an individual treatment regimen for hypertrichosis is selected.

If hormonal disorders are not detected, then the treatment of hypertrichosis is to remove hair. Self-correction of hypertrichosis in the face with tweezers and wax plates leads to an increase in symptoms. The only reliable method of therapy for hypertrichosis is electrical hair removal.

In particular, in children before the end of puberty, hair bleaching with 3% hydrogen peroxide is used to correct hypertrichosis or excess hair is removed using special creams.

For the period of correction of hypertrichosis with the help of electric hair removal, it is necessary to abandon other methods of hair removal. A needle bent at a right angle is inserted deep into the follicle and an electric discharge is applied to the hair follicle. They also act on several nearby hairs. After removing the needle, the hairs are carefully removed with tweezers. They should come out on their own without any effort, otherwise the procedure must be repeated. A session of electrolysis for hypertrichosis takes about half an hour. In one session, from several to several dozen hairs are removed, depending on the sensitivity of the patient to the procedure. With hypertrichosis of the chin, about 60 procedures are performed during the year, epilation of the area above the upper lip will take from three months to six months, after which the symptoms of hypertrichosis will disappear without a trace. Many resort to this procedure for hirsutism, however, this is ineffective, since the pathology occurs due to hormonal disorders, and the hair grows back.

If epilation with hypertrichosis is painful, then resort to local anesthesia. Edema and slight erythema after the procedure disappear during the day. For the entire period of electrolysis, sunscreen must be used to prevent punctate hyperpigmentation. Electrolysis is used for hypertrichosis of the chest, abdomen and pubis, since ordinary shaving and hair removal with wax leads to more intensive hair growth.

Since the main cause of hypertrichosis is gene mutation, research in the field of genome correction will help develop new methods for treating hypertrichosis, in which subsequent generations will be spared the likelihood of its occurrence.

With hypertrichosis in women, hair growth near the chin, axillary cavities, on the woman’s chest, nasolabial folds, legs, arms, and in the genital area is greatly enhanced; the pubic hair zone expands according to the male pattern.

Hypertrichosis in women is called too strong hair growth of various parts of the body. Hypertrichosis in women is manifested due to several reasons:

congenital vellus hypertrichosis - with such a disease, hair can reach a length of up to ten centimeters and be the result of any genetic abnormality;
acquired cannon hypertrichosis - in ninety-five percent of cases it is a harbinger of a malignant tumor;
drug hypertrichosis - manifested due to the intake of certain drugs - corticosteroids, cyclosporine, streptomycin, diazoxide, minoxidil, penicillamine, psoralens;
symptomatic hypertrichosis - develops with porphyria, bullous epidermolysis, traumatic brain injury, fetal alcohol syndrome, dermatomyositis, exhaustion, anorexia nervosa.

This disease can manifest itself in both mature women and young girls. It may begin as a fluff above the upper lip and chin, but if the disease is not treated correctly, it can become a serious cause. In no case should you shave your hair or wash it with a pumice stone.

Increased hairiness in women is the result of excessive secretion of the male hormone testosterone and excessive sensitivity of the hair follicle to its action. In most cases, this problem is congenital.

Also, increased hair growth can begin after a woman tries too often to apply masks, creams and procedures that have a hormonal basis. If increased growth is observed in adolescent girls, it is necessary to consult a doctor, as this may be a symptom of an internal disease.

In the fight against this disease, traditional medicine advises to forget about razors and tweezers and use the following tools.

Treatment of hypertrichosis in women

You can try lubricating the skin with the juice of a cut green walnut.

Also, in order to remove hair, you need to take shaving cream, two or three tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide and half a teaspoon of ammonia. All ingredients are mixed and applied to the skin, and when it dries up, the solution is washed off with warm water. After about four procedures, the hairs will brighten, become thin and almost invisible.

You can also burn a walnut shell, mix with a tablespoon of water and apply this mixture to the hair growth areas.

Walnut is generally considered one of the best remedies for the treatment of hypertrichosis. For example, for treatment, it is also necessary to drink a tablespoon of tincture from walnut partitions. To do this, take fifteen nuts, pour them with a glass of vodka and insist on the sun for two weeks.

You can also lubricate the skin with increased hairiness with milkweed juice, two to three times a day, for two weeks. Datura grass is also used for treatment. You need to take one hundred and fifty grams of this plant and pour it with a liter of hot water, and then boil it over low heat for thirty minutes. This decoction is cooled, filtered and applied in place with a gauze napkin. This procedure is repeated three to four times a day. Datura decoction is stored in the refrigerator.

And finally, a couple more recipes. You can mix one hundred milligrams of green walnut juice and ten to fifteen grams of tar. Put the mixture in a tightly sealed container and keep for three weeks in a dark place. Apply to areas with increased hairiness two to three times a day.

You can also collect ants or larvae, grind them with water in a tablespoon and apply to problem areas.