Hirsutism is most often associated with women, but it can also occur in girls. It is actually fairly common and can be hereditary, advises Children's Hospital Boston. It can be caused by problems with adrenal glands or by polycystic ovary syndrome. With PCOS, teens can develop excessive hair because hair follicles and skin cells are extremely sensitive to even small increases in testosterone, advises the Center for Young Women's Health.
Identification
Hirsutism means growth of excessive body hair in the sex hormone-dependent areas, reports Pediatric Care Online. These can include the face, chin, back, upper lip, abdomen, chest or an extension of pubic hair onto the thighs and abdomen, according to Children's Hospital Boston.
Significance
Hirsutism in girls represents overproduction of male hormones, or androgens, or enhanced androgen metabolism in a person's skin. Other signs and symptoms of hyperandrogenism that are common include acne, menstrual irregularities, short stature and development of male characteristics such as increased muscularity or a deepening voice, according to Pediatric Care Online.
Time Frame
Girls can develop hirsutism as a result of polycystic ovary syndrome. PCOS is a hormone imbalance that usually begins during a girl's teenage years and becomes more severe with age. PCOS also causes irregular periods as well as acne, according to Children's Hospital Boston. Other PCOS symptoms may be obesity, acne and male pattern baldness. PCOS is common among teen girls and young women, affecting one out of 10, according to the Center for Young Women's Health.
Considerations
Consult a doctor to determine if hirsutism is connected to a condition causing androgen overproduction. If some conditions causing androgen overproduction are not diagnosed or treated properly, the girl will develop early sexual hair growth and also will continue to virilize, meaning gain male characteristics, according to Pediatric Care Online. Virilization caused by excess androgen production usually is due to enlargement of the adrenal gland or a tumor, advises Merck. Hirsutism also may be drug-related. It can result from using anabolic steroids, danazol (Danocrine), metoclopramide (Reglan), methyldopa (Aldomet), phenothiazines, progestins, reserpine (Serpasil) or testosterone, according to Pediatric Care Online.
Solution
A doctor can perform a blood test to see if a girl's hirsutism is related to the overproduction of androgens by the adrenal glands. A tumor in an adrenal gland can cause such overproduction. If this is the case, the gland containing the tumor is likely to be removed, advises Merck. The most common cause of hirsutism and other virilization is adrenal hyperplasia, which according to Merck simply means the enlargement of the hormone-producing portions of the adrenal cortex. Small amounts of corticosteroids like dexamethasone can be used to reduce the production of androgens. Hirsutism caused by cystic ovaries might not need treatment, but it can be addressed with drugs that lower testosterone levels like oral contraceptives.
