Electrolysis: Causes of unwanted hair

    YOU'RE IN GOOD COMPANY
   If you have unwanted hair, you are definitely not alone.
Although the topic doesn’t really come up in "polite"
conversation,   most of us probably have something to
say about it.

   For example, there are countless women shaving their chins every morning
and hoping that the   hairs aren’t making shadows by 5 o’clock ;    others
carefully pluck out numerous offenders,   and carry tweezers around, just
in case.   Many men hesitate to strip down for a quick swim,   embarrassed
by the thick hair on their backs and shoulders.

For so many people, unwanted hair is a source of frustration, embarrassment,
and inconvenience. It can seriously affect self-esteem and confidence, and may
even cause a person to shy away from intimacy in a relationship.

                      FOR INQUIRING MINDS
There can be any number of factors contributing to unwanted hair growth,
including the following:

      • Heredity

   If members of your family have unwanted hair, the odds are likely that
you will too. Among the various nationalities, people from Mediterranean
and Middle Eastern regions tend to have some of the heaviest growth.
Caucasians generally have the most body hair, Blacks have less, and
Asians the least.

      • Hormonal Changes

   At various times in a person's life, changes in hormonal balance can
cause increased hair growth. The hormones responsible for this are
called androgens, or "male" hormones, though certain amounts are
normally present in women as well.

Both men and women experience increased hair growth during puberty;
for some women, it can also accompany pregnancy and menopause.
Disorders of the adrenal glands, thyroid, ovaries, and pituitary frequently
result in hormonal imbalances. These conditions should be evaluated and
treated by a physician. Excess hair growth is usually not resolved until
the cause itself is.

• Stress

Believe it or not, physical and emotional stress can result
in hormonal changes. In women, it can even go so far as to
cause menstrual irregularities.

• Medications

Certain medications, such as cyclosporin, dilantin, minoxidil,
cortisone, and birth control pills can affect hormonal balance.

• External Causes

Anything that causes an increase in the blood supply to the skin and
follicles (casts, sunburn, scarring from an injury) can also stimulate
new hair growth. Prolonged tweezing and waxing can cause the
replacement hairs to come in coarser and sometimes even ingrown.