What Causes Unwanted Hair Growth

Permanent Hair Removal

When we're looking at different permanent hair removal methods, it can help if we understand what is causing the unwanted hair growth in the first place. Here are some of the more common causes of hair growth. In a future article, I'll cover some of the more mainstream permanent hair removal methods like laser hair removal and electrolysis hair removal methods.

Abnormal Systemic Changes

These are diseases or disorders within the endocrine system, which may arise as a result of internal or external influence, and can bring about an imbalance of hormonal levels leading to various conditions. The diseases and disorders include:

• Ovarian cysts or tumors
• Adrenal tumor
• Anorexia nervosa
• Diabetes mellitus
• Cushing syndrome
• Adrenal genital virilism syndrome
• Drugs.

All of these may result in an abnormal level of hair growth.

Causes Of Hairgrowth

There are generally three factors that cause an increase in hairgrowth, they are:

• The genetic hormonal make-up we are born with.
• Stimulation of hair follicles through an increased blood supply.
• Stimulation due to either increased hormonal levels or sensitivity to hormones circulating within the bloodstream.

Hereditary

We are born with a genetic make-up from our parents. This determines if we are to be fair haired with an average percentage of body hair or dark haired with an unusually high percentage of body hair or vice versa. Genetic make-up is also determined by our race. If we are Italian, Indian or Scandinavian, our hairgrowth will be different.

Topical Stimulation


Waxing Hair Removal

This is any form of temporary treatment applied to the skin's surface which stimulates an increase in the local blood supply. Treatments such as plucking, waxing or even a plaster cast on a broken leg, will stimulate vellus hairgrowth to develop into deep terminal hair growth with time. Also, some medicated creams when applied to the skin can stimulate hairgrowth for example, steroid-based creams.

Medication

Some drugs can promote hairgrowth to develop in the male pattern, due to their effect on the internal system, including:

• A wide range of steroid medication
• Oral contraceptives, artificial hormones
• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs
• Some drugs for the treatment of epilepsy
• Drugs for treatment of endometriosis
• Drugs for the treatment of breast cancer
• Some fertility treatment drugs

Generally any drugs that have androgenic properties (androgens will stimulate hair growth and increase their diameter).

Severe Emotional Trauma

This occurs when women are put under emotional stress such as divorce, death etc. During periods of prolonged stress women may develop excess hairgrowth due to high levels of adrenalin being produced within the medulla of the adrenal glands. This, in turn, leads to the adrenal cortex producing large quantities of the male hormone group androgens, which in turn leads to hairgrowth in the male pattern if the individual is sensitive to these increased levels of circulating androgens. This hairgrowth may regress when the source of stress ceases, if the hair is not tampered with.