What is hirsutism in PCOS, Is it reversible?

Written by tanaypatel5212

May 21, 2021

 Hirsutism in PCOS, what are the symptoms and prevention of it.

Almost out of women develops a condition called PCOS also known as a polycystic ovarian syndrome, which affects mainly the reproductive system but also causes symptoms on other systems. one of the symptoms is excessive hair growth on different parts of the body like the back, chest, face, and belly, this condition is defined as hirsutism in PCOS.

In this article we will give information about hirsutism in PCOS, if we talk about PCOS, in general, it is a very vast topic in itself that is why we will discuss it in a series of articles about the polycystic ovarian syndrome, its causes, its prevention, and treatment.

List of the topic included in the article

  • What is PCOS?
  • What is hirsutism?
  • What is hirsutism in PCOS?
  • Is it reversible?
  • And other related topics about it.

What is PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome)

  • It is a syndrome rather than a disease
  • In which ovaries may develop cysts
  • The patient becomes overweight or obese
  • The common hormonal problem in young women

PCOS is a disease in which multiple systems of the body are affected and causes symptoms due to hormonal imbalance, although the definite cause of PCOS is unknown doctors assume that it is due to hormonal imbalance and caused by a defect in the endocrine system.

The endocrine system is one of the major systems of the human body and if there is any defect in this system can lead to so many medical conditions like hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Gigantism, and many more.

We all know that the pituitary is the master gland of the human body any kind of problem like a brain tumor, defect in the pituitary gland can also cause hormonal imbalance in the body which can affect the reproductive system and cause PCOS.

In females there is hypothalamus-pituitary ovarian axis is very famous, this axis is very important for the normal reproductive life cycle in women, any defect in the HPO axis can also cause PCOS.

A gonadotropin-releasing hormone released by the cells of the hypothalamus, this GnRH hormone activates the pituitary gland and causes the release of two main female hormones Follicle stimulation hormone (FSH) and LH (Letanising releasing hormone).

These two hormones are responsible for the normal menstrual cycle of female, but if there is irregularly release of GnRH causes arhythmic releases of these both hormones.

Due to this, there is a rush in the release of LH and the level of FSH drops down in the body, this leads to more production of androgens male hormone Testosterone and causes resistance in ovum production.

Further, it develops symptoms in different systems of the body and turns into Polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Symptoms of PCOS are

  • Menstrual irregularities
  • Acne or pimple
  • Abnormal hair growth on the body
  • The dark and thick skin of the neck, underarms, groin
  • Depression and mood disorders.

Occult symptoms in Polycystic ovarian syndrome

  • The rise in blood sugar level
  • High blood pressure or hypertension
  • Increase in cholesterol level
  • Sleep apnea
  • Increase risk of cancer

What is hirsutism?

Hirsutism literally means excessive hair growth on the different parts of the body includes ;

  • Face
  • Chest
  • Back
  • Belly

This excessive hair growth is due to an increase in the production of androgen by the ovaries or rush of the male hormone testosterone in the body by the ovaries.

Video courtesy: Conquer PCOS(YouTube)

Also in PCOD insulin resistance increases which leads to the production of androgens from ovaries, this may cause Exessive hair growth in females.

Is Hirsutism in PCOS reversible?

So many people have a question about it that hirsutism is reversible or not, let’s make it more clear. It is not reversible totally but we can manage it by reducing the chance of more hair growth on the body.

Management is dependent on how much time it is present and the severity of hirsutism in PCOS. It can be;

  • Mild
  • Moderate
  • Severe

Management of Hirsutism in PCOS

Management is based on different criteria for hirsutism and PCOS, management is done through medication and cosmetic treatment by a doctor in several sitting.

This sitting number and treatment is based on the following criteria;

  • Which body part is affected
  • What types of hair
  • Severity of disease

It is not totally reversible as anti-androgens are given in treatment which only blocks the production of androgen they do not work on developed hair, that is why cosmetic treatment is also given to the patient of hirsutism in PCOS.

As we know an increase in androgen level is the root cause for both hirsutism and PCOS, in management our prior goal is to manage the level of androgens in the patient’s body.

There are various ways to reduce the level of androgen in a patient with hirsutism, which we have discussed in our next heading in this article.

How to reduce androgen in PCOS and Hirsutism?

It doesn’t matter that you are healthy or having hirsutism in PCOS or other medical conditions, you should always have to maintain yourself for better health and better tomorrow.

If you are suffering from hirsutism and PCOS then you should have to do the following things to reduce the level of androgens and if you are healthy then this can also help you to prevent because prevention is always better than cure.

Exercise:-

Exercise is the most effective way to lose weight, this will help patients from getting overweight during their treatment time and after treatment also.

Manage insulin level:-

If hirsutism is due to increase insulin resistance then the doctor may give insulin sensitizer to the patient. Insulin sensitizer is not given to every patient and patient also do not have to take it by them own.

Anti- Androgens:-

Anti-androgens are also used for medication treatment of patients with hirsutism in PCOS. If a patient having too high a level of testosterone then the doctor can prescribe it or the doctor can give a prescription by their experience and needed patients.

When Anti- Androgens are given in hirsutism with PCOS?

Mild cases:-

Anti-androgens are not given in mild cases, here doctors remove hair by lesser treatment or some time there is wait and watch situation occurs.

Moderate cases:-

In moderate cases, it is given during hair removing treatment only if needed.

Severe cases:-

In severe cases, anti-androgens are given and the dose is decided by the doctor according to the severity of the condition.

Does weight loss help to treat hirsutism?

Weight loss doesn’t cure hirsutism, but it surely helps you to reduce symptoms of PCOS.

The patient should have maintained her healthy weight because it is good for her body also and also increase her chances to recover from PCOS and hirsutism. Also, weight loss helps in;

  • Regulating menstrual cycle
  • Reduces androgens
  • Also helps to reduce insulin resistance

These above things are beneficial for patient with Hirsutism in PCOS, so maintaining weight and weight loss definitely help to the patient

Also read:- How to overcome negative thoughts

How to remove hair in hirsutism?

There are various methods available to remove facial hairs in hirsutism, it includes two methods;

  1. Temporary
  2. Permanent

Temporary methods

As the name suggests temporary methods are used to remove hair temporary from the face and other parts. It includes;

Shaving:

Shaving should be avoided until you have enough knowledge about what direction you have to do. If you shave in the wrong direction then there are chances that it can lead to ingrown hair growth, redness, bump around the shaved part, and sometimes irritation also.

Waxing:

Waxing is the most common temporary treatment which most females do at home also. It is definitely a good temporary hair removal method but if it is not suitable for you it also can cause ingrown hair formation, redness, irritation.

Sometimes very hot waxing can cause burns or blisters also to the person.

Plucking:

Plucking should be avoided as much as possible you. As it is not administrable om wide areas. It is actually not the right choice to remove hair.

It is tedious and time-consuming as well as if you do not do it proper it can cause folliculitis which is a painful condition for a person.

Threading:

After waxing threading is the most preferred method for hair removal, so many women do threading in salons as well as in parlor also.

You should avoid it from the chin and sidebran.

It is also good but it may cause pain and irritation to women who have sensitive skin and also causes redness.

Bleaching cream :

If you want to do bleaching then you should first have done a patch test, as there are chemicals are used in cream it can cause patches and redness to your skin.

This is very important to do a patch test before doing  bleaching.

Permanent Methods

In this methods hair, removal is a permanent and one time used method, it includes;

Electrolysis 

It is a partially temporary method and before laser treatment has invented this method was preferred for permanent hair removal treatment.

In this treatment, hair removal is done through the use of electricity, and sometimes it is not suitable for sensitive patients.

Also if a patient has darker and thicker hair in this situation it needs multiple sitting after almost every 10 days for effective treatment.

Laser hair reduction

It is highly advanced and the highest preferred treatment used to remove hair on any part of the body. It works on almost every type of hair and with each sitting it makes hair length shorter and finer leads to good results in last.

Conclusion

Now time to outro from the article, we hope that this information about Hirsutism in PCOS will be beneficial to you as our site name suggests all your benefits. If you have any questions regarding this topic you can comment down below we will help you to solve your doubts regarding it.

If you have any questions regarding pregnancy you can check out our article related to pregnancy, it may help you to solve your queries.

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