Dear doctor;

I am 19. I have a lot of hair on my arms. It makes me uncomfortable. I have been wearing long sleeves and sweaters for the last four years whenever I am in public, but a friend says covering them only makes them increase. How can I possibly do away with this hairs? Bellindah, Nyagatare.

Dear Bellindah,

Hair on the body occur due to male sex hormones. Each individual has both male and female sex hormones, preponderance of one depends on the gender of the person. These hormones are responsible for external appearance of a person gender-wise like excess hair of a man or less facial or body hair of a woman. But due to hormonal disorders, there may aberration in this.Mental and physical stress both can cause surge in adrenergic hormones and corticoids in a woman and result in excess hair over body parts. Excess body hair can be due to other hormonal disorders like cushing’s hypothyroidism, pituitary disorders, among others. Long use of drugs like corticoids and minoxidil can also cause excess body hair.

Excess production of male sex hormones by the ovaries can also lead to this condition. Polycystic disease of the ovaries is a condition where one may have acne, menstrual abnormalities and excess hair on body.

Sometimes there may not be any underlying cause and excess hair may simply be due to genetic make up of an individual. But covering the hair does not cause excess growth.You can undergo tests for thyroid and corticoid and other adrenal hormones in the body, any disorder for same is treatable. Learn to be stress-free.

Regular waxing is better than shaving or hair removing creams as with these the hair come back sooner and are more coarse. With waxing the regrowth occurs in two to four weeks and hair are comparatively smooth.

Laser therapy can remove the hair for a longer duration but it tends to cause depletion of melanin. This is a disadvantage in dark coloured women as there would be patchy areas of light colour wherever laser is done and this can add on the disfigurement subjectively.

Electrolysis is a time consuming procedure and also expensive where heat or electric current is used to remove excess hair. It may take months or years for permanent removal.