Treatment and Management options
Treatment and Management options
Treatment options for hirsutism where there is no underlying cause (about a quarter of women) or in association with polycystic ovary syndrome (the most common cause in pre-menopausal women), include self-care, physical treatments, and topical treatment.
- Shaving. Some people think that shaving encourages more hair growth, but this is not true. However, the stubble that follows regrowth may be undesirable. Frequent shaving can irritate the skin.
- Waxing is effective for some people, but can irritate the skin and should be used with caution on the face. Scarring occasionally follows and folliculitis can occur with shaving, and waxing.
- Depilatories (creams that remove hair) chemically dissolve hair shafts thereby leaving no stubble, but may also irritate the skin.
- Bleaching creams are designed to make the dark hairs pale. They can irritate the skin and may be unsuitable for brown and black skins.
Electrolysis: An electrical current is passed into a hair follicle through a needle. This aims to destroy the hair root permanently.
Possible side effects : scarring
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Laser and intense pulsed light (IPL): Treatments also aim to destroy the hair root permanently.
Possible side effects : redness, darkening or lightening of the skin, and scarring. With these treatment options the customer must not sunbathe (or apply fake tan) and stop all forms of hair removal, with the exception of shaving.
Both of these types of treatments are expensive and several are needed over a period of months to have the desired effect.
NB : Both should be performed in a specialist clinic.
Eflornithine 11.5% cream (Vaniqa - POM).
- Licenced for use in women for whom other medical treatments cannot be used or have been ineffective.
- Slows hair growth (not a depilatory cream).
- Applied after any regular hair removal techniques (see self-care and physical treatments).
- Cream should be applied to the affected area twice daily, at least eight hours apart
- Typically takes two to three months of regular use to have an effect
Continued treatment is needed to maintain beneficial effects.
The condition may return to pre-treatment levels within 8 weeks following discontinuation of treatment.
Side effects are usually mild and include burning or stinging of the skin and acne.
It is this type of treatment for which customers may be seeking medical advice from their local community pharmacy.