Hirsutism is excess hair growth on the body or face. It's caused by excess hormones called androgens. For women, the hair may grow in places where men often have a lot of hair, but women often don't.
It is typical for female people to have fine hair all over the body, including the face. Many may also notice thicker, darker hairs on the stomach, chin, and chest.
Lots of women have a happy trail. In case you didn't know, the happy trail is the area below the belly button. Unless the hair there you are getting is very thick and dark, you shouldn't have anything to be concerned about. Just shave it off if you're not digging the look.
Hirsutism in women is the excess growth of dark and coarse hair over areas of the body where it ordinarily wouldn't grow, such as the face and back. About one woman in 10 is affected. Hirsutism is usually a symptom of an underlying problem rather than a medical condition in its own right.
Common signs and symptoms of PCOS are: Hair growth in unwanted areas. Your doctor may call this “hirsutism” (pronounced HUR-soo-tiz-uhm). You might have unwanted hair growing on your face or chin, breasts, stomach, or thumbs and toes.
As previously stated, the shape of a PCOS belly differs from other types of weight gain. It often appears large and bloated but can also be small and round, depending on genetics and other factors. The PCOS belly involves the accumulation of visceral fat in the lower abdomen and typically feels firm to the touch.
One of the common symptoms of PCOS is excessive growth of dark or coarse hair on the face, chest, or back in a male-like pattern.
Men develop more androgenic hair than women because we have more androgens. Androgens (sometimes referred to as male sex hormones because we more of them than women) are sexual hormones such as testosterone, androstenedione and DHT, which create male characteristics. This, of course, includes being hairier.
Like so many things, it comes down to a mixture of genetics and hormones. We know that at least some of the genes for hairiness are carried on the X chromosome – and the way these genes are expressed varies between different men and ethnic groups – but hairiness also correlates with high testosterone levels.
A happy trail is a vertical strip of hair running from the belly button down to the pubic region, usually associated with men.
Case in point: When Australian researchers surveyed women about their body hair preferences on men, they found that women deemed men with "light" body hair—or guys with just a little bit of hair around their chest and belly button—as more attractive than guys with lots of body hair.
Do many girls have hair around their nipples and if so, how do they remove it? It's possible — and normal — to have hair almost anywhere on the body, so a few hairs on your nipples are nothing to worry about. Lots of girls have them. You have several options for removing nipple hair.
Our whole body is covered with hair follicles and the purpose of those hair follicles is to grow hair, but the growth differs from area to area. Therefore, having hair follicles in the areola (that pigmented circle around your nipple) is completely normal.
Should You Shave Your happy Trail? You don't have to do anything if you are one of those lucky guys with that perfect thin line. However, if you need to groom your nether region to get a happy trail, we don't recommend shaving at all.
The short answer is there isn't a proven link between orgasms and testosterone levels, so we don't know how it affects you in the short term. However, you can take comfort in knowing that masturbating will not negatively affect your testosterone levels—or other aspects of your life—long-term.
Women who produce exceptionally high levels of testosterone may experience signs of virilization—the development of male physical characteristics (i.e., muscle bulk, body hair on the face, chest, or back, deepening of the voice).
Hirsutism is linked to hormones called androgens. It can happen if the level of these hormones increases or if your body becomes more sensitive to them. The most common cause is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This is a condition affecting the ovaries that can also cause symptoms such as acne and irregular periods.
Pubic hair and hair on the body doesn't usually grow back after the menopause, this is due to levels of estrogen and progesterone remaining low as we continue to age.
“[It is] almost universally culturally found that women have longer hair than men,” says Kurt Stenn, author of Hair: a Human History.
Hairy arms and legs are not usually the result of abnormal hormone patterns, but rather reflect the woman's family or ethnic background. "Midline" hair growth (e.g. upper lip, chin, abdomen, between the breasts and/or buttocks) is more suspicious for PCOS.
In women, androgens are produced by the ovaries or the adrenal glands. But some women with hirsutism don't have PCOS or any other cause that can be found. Their hormone levels are normal, and so are their menstrual cycles. These women may have been born with hair follicles that are more sensitive to androgens.
Lea Michele
The Glee star has opened up about being diagnosed with PCOS after experiencing severe acne and fluctuating weight. “The side effects [of PCOS] can be brutal — like weight gain and bad skin,” Lea shared with Health. “I went to a great doctor, and the minute she looked at me, she was like, 'Oh, you have PCOS.