Help! My body hair has suddenly gotten out of control!
I am a 23 year old Columbia student with a "general health"
problem which is a bit unique -- my worries may seem even seem
vain. Nevertheless, I have been searching for the answer to my
problem for the past year to no avail. Perhaps your wisdom can
help out. My problem is with my body hair. In the past year, my
body hair has proliferated and darkened in places I have never had
hair, or in places where I could barely see my hair. I am an Asian
woman, and as you may know, Asians typically have a very small
amount of body hair. I have always been typically sparse of body
hair, and have loved its convenience. Of course, I have always had
a healthy amount of hair on my head, underarms, and pubic area. I
have always had a minuscule amount of hair on the rest of my body.
I never shaved my legs, toes, stomach -- until now...
In this past year (not any earlier!) the hair on my arms and legs
has darkened and multiplied so much so that I have had to (gasp!)
shave my legs. Also, I now have hair growing on my breasts!!!!!)
my chin (!!), my toes etc. I know it is perfectly natural for
most people to have a fair amount of hair in these areas. However,
I have never had hair in these areas until very recently. And yes,
I am mortified at the hair on my breasts and my chin!
Since I am well past puberty, I do not know why my body decided to
have an unsightly hair growth spurt. I must note that I have a lot
of eczema, for which I have taken lots and lots of hydrocortisone
in the years. I know hydrocortisone is a mild steroid, and I know
the steroids that athletes have been known to take often creates
hair growth -- but I have NEVER read in medical literature that
hydrocortisone use = abnormal hair growth. I also take the
medication Tegretol, to control my epilepsy. I have read up on
Tegretol, and I have never read anything about hair growth. Oh, I
also am on the Pill.
I guess I do not know what causes hair growth in the first place
(what hormone, chemicals, etc.) -- but I would love your help in
this mystery. Thanks in advance
-- Freaky Follicles
Dear Freaky Follicles,
It is definitely unusual to have sudden hair growth and it may
signal an endocrine imbalance. You should make an appointment at
Primary Care Medical Services to speak with a provider about this occurrence (x4-
2284) or just walk-in to the fourth floor John Jay. The other
possible culprit could be your birth control pills. Certain types
of pills can be associated with hair growth. Pills that have a
high estrogen content may be more likely to cause hair growth in
women. If the start of the hair growth has coincided with your
taking the pill, you should speak to a provider, also at Primary Care, about changing to a lower dosage pill. Low-dose combined
birth control pills (having both estrogen and progesterone) tend
to suppress a woman's production of testosterone, a male hormone,
which is related to hair growth. The newest progestin-only pills
can actually be beneficial in treating excessive hair growth.
Again, this is something that should definitely be discussed with
a provider. See the person who prescribed the pills originally, or
any other provider you feel comfortable with. But this sudden
growth of hair is definitely unusual and important to check out
soon.
- Alice
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Sudden hair growth?
