Hypertrichosis - what is it? Causes, symptoms, treatment of hypertrichosis

Hypertrichosis (excess hair) is a disease that manifests itself in the excessive growth of hair on certain areas unusual for such a region of the skin: over the lips, on the stomach, chest, arms, back and chin. This disease can occur after a certain period after birth and form in adulthood. It does not cause harm to health, but it is considered an aesthetic defect. And yet, hypertrichosis - what is it, how it manifests itself? This will be discussed later in the article.

How to grow hair

"Vegetation" on the head and body is a completely natural phenomenon for any person. During fetal ripening of the fetus, the hair grows all over the skin. As a rule, to the stage of birth, these hairs disappear, and later they are first replaced by cannon, and then - terminal ones.

Pushkin hair has every person: they cover his body, grow on the face of women and children. Such hairs are normally soft and light, their length does not exceed 1.5 mm. Terminal hair is also considered the norm, but they differ in a different structure: darker and harder.

How hormones affect their growth

Androgens significantly affect hair follicles, because the frequency of hair loss, growth and hair structure depend on them. If there are any glitches with hormones in the body, then there may be hypertrichosis in women. The photo is presented below.

Androgens are able to affect hair bulbs throughout the body, but some of them are insensitive to these hormones - for example, fleece hair, eyelashes and eyebrows. Some, on the other hand, have very good sensitivity. Just the influence of androgen motivates the change of soft pubic hairs in children to hard during puberty.

Even these hormones have an effect on the growth of hair on the face and head in men, but have their own specifics. For example, in males, the excess of testosterone can lead not only to an increase, but also to the loss of hair. Here, it should also be noted that not always the formation of hair bulbs in the back area of men is a problem of hypertrichosis. In all people, the performance of these hormones is different. Hence the conclusion that some hair has little, but others - a lot.

Hypertrichosis: signs

Such a disease develops in stages, that is, manifestations progress according to increasing. The patient begins to notice that the intensive growth of the hairs is dominant, while they expand over the whole surface of the body.

However, there are other symptoms that significantly reduce the quality of life. With inherited hypertrichosis, malaise is considered incurable, and it develops immediately after birth. Increased hairiness in the baby spreads in the zone of the waist, and shreds of long hair can be seen along the entire vertebral ridge.

In children, hypertrichosis is inherited as a sign of irritability, nervousness, appetite disorder, restless sleep and bad mood. Careful parents need to pay special attention to such changes in the behavior of the child, immediately registering with the district pediatrician for an appointment.

The acquired nature of this disease also has its manifestations, which are felt by the increased growth of hairs in the sternum, nasolabial folds, on the extremities and pubes. In addition, hair also grows on birthmarks, in moles, representing a clear cosmetic defect. If you remove this "vegetation" yourself, then the signs of the disease can only worsen. So neither the use of wax, nor laser hair removal, as well as other cosmetic activities without early therapy is not shown and even contraindicated.

Types of disease

Hypertrichosis - what is it really? This is a very unpleasant affliction, which also has its own variants. In the conditionality of the symptomatology, extent and areas of hair loss, this disease can be divided into 2 main types:

• Solid hairiness or general hypertrichosis;
• Disease of some areas of the body or local hypertrichosis.

Total hairs

Hairs grow on the entire human body. Often this kind of ailment is congenital. This happens for the reason that the embryonic black hair is not replaced by light gun hair, but continues to form. In some cases, such "thickets" can reach up to 10 cm in length.

Hypertrichosis of some parts of the body

This kind of disease is divided, in its turn, into subspecies:

1. Lumbar hypertrichosis in women and men. In the waist area, soft, long and dark hair grows. Along with this, it is often possible to observe neurological signs and nezaraschenie spine (spinal dysphasia).
2. Congenital defects are nevi, copiously covered with hairs. Such birthmarks can be light and black, reaching different contours and sizes. There is the concept of Becker melanosis, and this disease manifests itself in the form of a nevus of huge volumes. Malaise is characterized by a permanent skin lesion, which pigmented already in old age.
3. Anteroplegia (preteral hypertrichosis) - hair growth in the chest zone.

What are the causes of the disease?

First of all, it must be taken into account that the malaise is acquired in different periods of life or congenital. You can consider the main prerequisites for the formation of the disease:

1. Hypertrichosis in children and adults as an indicator of cancer. There were cases when a patient, several years before the detection of a malignant tumor, there was excessive growth of hair in certain areas of the body. This expression is associated with the mechanism of "revitalization" of the hair follicles under the influence of various changes in the body.
2. Genetic factor. During the development of the fetus, viral and bacterial infections may appear), which provoke genetic mutations. The structure of epithelial erythrocytes changes - they are transformed into cells with hair sacs. A simple gene is replaced by a mutated gene, and as a result, hypertrichosis begins in women. The photo below shows this disease.
3. Exposure to certain medications. It is believed that such an ailment can be caused by the use of penicillins, cephalosporins, corticosteroids and streptomycins. The disease is formed as a by-product of the drug. In addition, under the influence of various substances used in medicinal purposes and enhancing blood filling of the skin (therapeutic mud, mustard, hormonal ointments, paraffin), her injuries appear.
4. Hypertrichosis - what is it, and what causes still exist? It can also be a sign of other ailments: anorexia nervosa, mental abnormalities, fetal alcohol syndrome, porphyria, a consequence of craniocerebral injury, dermatomyositis, defects in the development of the osseous system (decay of the vertebral arc).
5. Excessive growth of hair can be detected due to injuries of various areas of the body or permanent thermal, mechanical skin irritation. In particular, the disease can be formed due to various burns, shaving, cryotherapy, in place of scars, depilation and other. Even there is the concept of traumatic hypertrichosis, which occurs in some areas of the skin, while in other places there are no symptoms of excessive hair growth.

Diagnostics

Such a disease requires a comprehensive approach, where therapy should begin with a visit to a dermatologist, endocrinologist and gynecologist - these specialists give their conclusions. After this, it is necessary to perform a biochemical blood test, which will determine the hormonal background of the patient, as well as the stage of the main pathological process. If the dominant hypertrichosis dominates, the photo of which is shown below, then according to the laboratory analysis it is possible to draw a conclusion about the prevailing disease of the endocrine system.

In addition, the doctor must perform a visual examination and find out in detail the history of the characteristic disease. Complaints of the patient indicate the main disease in the body. Special instrumental examinations are not needed. After the establishment of a correct diagnosis, therapy should begin in due time.

Hypertrichosis: treatment

The goal of drug therapy is to eliminate the causes of increased hair growth. To do this, you must follow all the prescriptions of a specialist who prescribes symptomatic, hormonal and substitution treatment. Selection of hormonal drugs should be performed in an individual mode, and dosage adjustment will protect against serious health problems, as well as aggravation of side effects.

In addition, certain cosmetic measures are necessary, which will prevent and remove the increased hairiness. Hair can be removed with the help of electric hair removal, specific depilatory agents, shaving and bleaching preparations. Remove them with laser or wax is prohibited, since such procedures only increase the symptoms.

Nevertheless, experts advise to produce electrical hair removal, because they consider this method the most popular and effective. If the event becomes too painful, then it is permitted to perform it under local anesthesia.

Either way, the clinical conclusion is quite favorable, but to treat hypertrichosis (what it is, already known to readers of this article) is recommended in a timely manner.