Why do some girls have more body hair than boys? Be careful of this disease!

Every summer, some girls will face a different problem - excessive body hair. Beards and excessive body hair are often regarded as signs of male characteristics, but in fact, some girls also have similar problems.

On social platforms, many people are troubled by this and have come up with all kinds of ways to fight against "excessive hairiness": hair removal patches that make people gasp, and hair removal devices that make people feel like they are at a welding scene in a second.

Image source: Screenshot from a social platform

Staring at the top of the head in the mirror that is gradually becoming smooth due to thinning hair, and then looking at the leg hair, hand hair, lip hair, and armpit hair that cannot be shaved every summer, many people can't help but sigh: why don't so much hair appear where it should be?

How do we get so much body hair? Why do some girls have more body hair than boys? Is having too much body hair a disease?

Excessive body hair

Maybe it's the testosterone that's causing the problem

Hair growth is actually affected by many factors, the most important of which are: thyroid hormones, estrogen and androgen in the human endocrine hormones, each of which has its own division of labor.

Among them, thyroid hormone is responsible for maintaining the growth phase of hair, estrogen can promote the formation of hair keratin, and androgen determines the growth rate and amount of body hair. In other words, the reason why armpit hair, lip hair, and hand hair that troubles many women is difficult to eradicate is that they are supported by androgen.

Although the word "male" is in the name, androgens are not only found in men. In addition to secreting estrogen and progesterone, the female ovaries also synthesize a small amount of androgens. In addition, the female adrenal glands also secrete androgens.

Although its content is not as high as that in men, it is essential for women.

Androgens are not only the materials for synthesizing estrogen, but also can promote the recruitment of small antral follicles and the development of follicles. In an experiment, the androgen receptor gene of female mice was knocked out. As a result, these mice gradually showed follicle development disorders, reduced ovulation, decreased fertility, and ovarian dysfunction.

However, once excessive secretion of androgen occurs, it will bring many negative effects to women, such as irregular menstruation, facial acne, and especially the growth of a lot of body hair.

Image source: Screenshot from a social platform

Human body hair can actually be divided into two categories: vellus hair and coarse hair. The former is often referred to as "vellus hair", which is mostly fine and soft and colorless, while coarse hair is relatively long, coarse, and colored.

Before puberty, the distribution of hair in both men and women is very similar: eyebrows and eyelashes are coarse hair, while vellus hair is distributed on the vulva, armpits, and beard growth areas. However, it is soft, small, and not colored, making it difficult to be captured by the naked eye.

When entering puberty, androgens will take effect, turning vellus hair into coarse hair, and men will grow beards and their body hair will become more obvious. If women's endocrine regulation is abnormal and androgens are secreted too much, the vellus hair that would not turn into coarse hair will be nourished, resulting in these seemingly male sexual characteristics.

At present, excessive androgen may be related to many factors, one of which is: genetics.

Genes largely determine the color, density, and shape of human hair. Just as European whites generally have thicker hair than Asians, and African blacks have curly hair, if the parents have thick hair, the next generation is likely to have "excessive hair".

Excessive body hair is not necessarily hirsutism

Some people think they have hirsutism when they notice an increase in body hair, but in fact, the two are not the same concept.

Excessive hair refers to a simple increase in body hair, while hirsutism refers to the excessive growth of hair in specific areas of a woman's body, such as above the lips, which gives her a masculine appearance. At the same time, masculinization also occurs in other parts of the body, such as an Adam's apple.

If you are not sure whether you have hirsutism, you can use the Ferriman-Gallwey (FG) scoring standard published by the World Health Organization to evaluate.

Ferriman-Gallwey scoring scale Image source: Reference [5]

A score of more than 8 points but less than 15 points indicates mild hirsutism, while a score of more than 15 points requires testing of the androgen level in the blood.

Because there are two main reasons for the formation of hirsutism: excessive androgen in the body and high sensitivity of hair follicles to androgen. The former may be caused by a variety of situations.

For example, drug-induced hirsutism caused by taking drugs containing testosterone or other androgens, or idiopathic hirsutism caused by endocrine diseases. There are also cases of increased body hair caused by excessive secretion of androgens by the adrenal glands and ovaries due to adrenal tumors or ovarian tumors.

Among all the causes, the largest proportion is hirsutism caused by polycystic ovary syndrome, reaching 70% to 80%.

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The cause and mechanism of polycystic ovary syndrome are still unclear, and studies have found that it is not necessarily related to the ovaries, but what is certain is that it points to abnormal endocrine regulation and excessive secretion of androgens in the body.

In addition to excessive hair growth, acne, and baldness, the symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome may also include menstrual abnormalities, infertility, and obesity due to persistent anovulation.

In our previous articles, we compared the differences between polycystic ovary changes and polycystic ovary syndrome (irregular menstruation, weight gain, excessive body hair, acne...polycystic ovary syndrome cannot be ignored). If a woman has excessive body hair to the point of hirsutism, and her menstruation continues to stop and she often has acne on her face, it is best to go to the hospital to check whether she has polycystic ovary syndrome.

What to do if you have too much hair?

The types and causes of excess hair are different, so the treatment should be tailored to the individual.

If hirsutism is caused by adrenal tumors or ovarian tumors, you should seek medical attention promptly. This will not only cure the disease but also improve the symptoms of hirsutism.

If the hirsutism is caused by polycystic ovary syndrome, a comprehensive approach based on lifestyle adjustment and supplemented by medication should be adopted to improve the situation. Because there is no cure for it now, you can only adjust it as much as possible, such as controlling weight, improving work and rest, and strengthening exercise.

But if you don't have any serious health problems, you can breathe a sigh of relief: your main enemy is not the physical illness that will significantly affect your health, but these minor hairs that are just unsightly.

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Although we advocate "not pursuing the mainstream single aesthetic and being bold to be yourself", smooth skin is indeed what many girls pursue. For this reason, here are some hair removal solutions for those in need to try.

1. Razor: Low recommendation index

Some people think that hair will grow more and faster after shaving. In fact, this is just a cognitive misunderstanding: the newly grown hair will indeed feel rough and hard, but its essence remains unchanged.

However, although epilator is convenient, it also has risks. It may scratch and cause folliculitis, contact dermatitis and other problems.

2. Hair removal cream: low recommendation index

Most depilatory creams use chemicals to destroy hair tissue, temporarily suppressing the hair for about two weeks and preventing it from continuing to grow.

But please note that the main chemical ingredients of many depilatory creams are thioglycolic acid and calcium thioglycolate. They will irritate the skin when they come into direct contact with the skin. For friends with sensitive skin, it is best not to use them for a long time.

3. Waxing hair removal: Recommendation index: Not recommended

This is probably the most primitive solution, where others watch you decompress and tear off the hair in a neat row, but only those who have experienced it know how painful it is.

Although some people think that the pain is worth it for the sake of beauty, this rough way of pulling hair can cause great irritation to the skin. Once the body hair breaks and pierces the hair follicle, it may cause folliculitis.

4. Laser hair removal: recommended index

This is a permanent way of hair removal, which uses laser to penetrate deep into the hair follicles and destroy them, preventing hair from growing. But it may also have some side effects, of course, its biggest side effect may be to make your wallet even worse.

References

[1]Moini J (2015). Fundamental Pharmacology for Pharmacy Technicians. Cengage Learning. p. 338.

[2]Gylys BA, Wedding ME (2017). Medical Terminology Systems: A Body Systems Approach. FA Davis. p. 82.

[3]Diamanti-Kandarakis E, Kandarakis H, Legro RS (August 2006). "The role of genes and environment in the etiology of PCOS". Endocrine. 30 (1): 19–26.

[4]Hatch R, Rosenfield RL, Kim MH, et al, Hirsutism:implication, etiology and management. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 1981,140:815-830

[5]Spritzer PM, Barone CR, Oliveira FB. Hirsutism in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Pathophysiology and Management. Curr Pharm Des. 2016;22(36):5603-5613. doi:10.2174/1381612822666160720151243

[6] Zhendong, Lin Mao, Tu Caixia. Clinical application of laser hair removal. Journal of Practical Dermatology. Vol. 6, No. 5, October 2013.

[7] Endocrinology Group of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association. Expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome [J]. Chinese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2008, 43(7): 553-555

Author: Li Mi, popular science creator

Reviewer: Lan Yibing, deputy chief physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine