Excessive facial hair on a female, formally known as hirsutism, occurs when a woman grows hair in amounts normally associated with men. Women who have the condition may also grow unusual amounts of body hair. Potential causes of hirsutism include the presence of abnormal amounts of male hormones, genetics and the use of certain medications.
The Basics
Roughly 8 percent of American women have hirsutism, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). If you have the disorder, you will probably experience excessive hair growth on your upper lip, in addition to hair growth on your chest and abdomen. You may also experience excessive hair growth on your back, the American Academy of Family Physicians reports. Typically, this facial and body hair will be both darker and thicker than the fine hairs usually found on women's bodies.
Hormone Abnormalities
Women with hirsutism commonly produce unusually large amounts of male sexual hormones, also called androgens, the UMMC reports. In most cases, this overproduction has no specific underlying cause and poses no health risks. If you have hirsutism caused by elevated androgen levels, you may experience additional symptoms that include loss of female body characteristics, acne, irregular menstruation and the presence of masculine tendencies such as enlarged shoulder muscles, deepening of your voice and a receding hairline.
Cushing Syndrome
You may also develop an excess of male hormones as a symptom of a disease called Cushing syndrome, the UMMC notes. According to the National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information Service, this disorder occurs when your body experiences an ongoing exposure to unusually high levels of a hormone called cortisol. If you have a form of hirsutism related to the presence of Cushing's syndrome, you may experience additional symptoms that include high blood pressure, diabetes, thinning of your skin and obesity that centers largely on your abdomen.
Additional Causes
The UMMC lists additional potential causes of androgen-related hirsutism that include severe insulin resistance, polycystic ovarian syndrome, the presence of tumors on your ovaries or adrenal glands, the use of anabolic steroids and the use of an endometriosis medication called danazol. You may also develop androgen-related hirsutism if you use certain medications with known hair-growth effects, including cyclosporine, minoxidil, phenytoin and hexachlorobenzene, the UMMC explains.
Risk Factors
You may also have an increased chance of developing hirsutism if you are undergoing menopause or if the condition runs in your family, according to the UMMC. The condition also tends to occur more frequently in women of South Asian, European, Mediterranean or Middle Eastern descent. In some cases, hirsutism develops in the absence of any known causal factors, the UMMC notes.
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