Your concern
Hair where it should not be
Hirsutism: when hair distribution is clinical information, not just a cosmetic matter.
Having darker or more numerous hair than you would like is often simply an individual or family characteristic, and in that case the right answer is the cosmetic one. But there is a distinction worth knowing, because it changes the type of visit.
We speak of hirsutism when in a woman hair appears in a male-pattern distribution: chin and upper lip, neck, chest, areolae, the midline of the abdomen, the lower back. This is not the same as diffuse, light down on the arms and legs. Distribution is what counts, more than quantity.
What makes it worth discussing with a doctor is the context: if the hair appeared rapidly, or comes with irregular periods, acne that appeared or worsened in adulthood, weight gain or male-pattern hair thinning, the picture suggests looking at the hormonal side before simply removing it. Not because removal is wrong — it remains the treatment — but because removing it without looking means erasing a signal that was saying something.
The site matters, and so does how fast it appeared
These are the two elements that distinguish a constitutional characteristic from a picture needing assessment. Hair present forever, stable, on arms and legs, in a family where everyone is the same: that is a cosmetic matter, and laser hair removal is the answer. Hair appearing in recent months at typically male-pattern sites, perhaps alongside a cycle that has become irregular or new acne at thirty: that combination deserves evaluation before removal. The cosmetic treatment happens anyway, but knowing what lies behind it changes the result you can expect.
How it shows
- Dark, thick hair in typically male-pattern sites
- Chin, upper lip, neck, chest, abdomen, lower back
- Rapid appearance or increase over a matter of months
- Irregular or absent menstrual cycle
- Acne appearing or worsening in adulthood
- Male-pattern thinning of scalp hair
How we proceed
- 1Visit: hair distribution, timing of onset, associated symptoms
- 2Distinction between constitutional hypertrichosis and hirsutism
- 3Hormonal investigation where the context suggests it
- 4Laser hair removal set according to phototype and hair colour
- 5Follow-up: with a hormonal background the response to laser can vary
Available treatments
- Dermatology visit
- Hormonal investigation if indicated
- Laser hair removal
- Scheduled follow-up
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Our specialists will evaluate your case and define the most suitable treatment plan.
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Frequently asked questions
Does laser work on all hair?+
No, and it is worth knowing before starting a course. Laser works on the pigment in the hair: it is more effective the darker and thicker the hair, while on white, very light blond or red hair the target is missing and the result is poor or absent. Skin phototype also enters the calculation of parameters. This is why assessment comes before any quotation, not the other way round.
If there is a hormonal cause, is laser useless?+
Not useless, but it must be framed correctly. If the stimulus driving hair growth remains active, regrowth may be more likely and maintenance more frequent: the laser still works, but it works against a drive that has not stopped. Addressing both together — the underlying picture and the removal — gives more stable results than dealing with the second alone.
Does shaving or waxing make it worse?+
It is a widespread but unfounded belief: razors and waxing do not make hair more numerous or thicker. What changes is perception, because shaved hair grows back with a cut tip and feels coarser. Waxing and repeated plucking can, however, favour ingrown hairs and folliculitis, and that is a concrete reason to consider a different approach.
Related reading
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