Although often not a serious health problem, being a woman with a mustache often lowers self-confidence. Jiif you have this complaint, don't fret anymore, because there are several ways that doctors can do to treat this condition.
In the medical world, the condition of hair growth in unusual parts of a woman's body is called hirsutism. In addition to a mustache, women who suffer from hirsutism can also experience hair growth on other body parts, such as the chin, chest, stomach, arms, and back.
In addition to hair growth in certain parts of the body, women suffering from hirsutism may also experience several other symptoms, such as irregular menstruation, lots of acne growing, louder voice, baldness, enlarged clitoris, increased muscle mass, and smaller breast size.
What Causes Women with Mustaches?
A woman can appear hairier due to genetic or hereditary factors. Many women develop this condition because they have a biological family, such as a mother and sister, with a similar condition.
Apart from heredity, the appearance of a mustache or a lot of hair growing on a woman's body can also be caused by the high amount of androgen hormone (testosterone) in her body. Testosterone is normally higher in men and only in small amounts in women.
There are several factors that can cause this condition, including:
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This condition is the most common cause of imbalanced hormone production in a woman's body.
- Cushing's syndrome, which is a condition when the body produces too much of the stress hormone cortisol.
- Tumors in the ovaries (ovaries) or adrenal glands.
- Acromegaly or a disorder in which the body produces too much growth hormone.
- Thyroid disorders.
- Hyperprolactinemia, which is a condition when the body produces more of the hormone prolactin.
- insulin resistance.
- Side effects of certain medications, such as corticosteroids, minoxidil (a drug that contains the hormone testosterone), danocrine (a drug to treat endometriosis), the anticonvulsant phenytoin, and cyclosporine.
Because it can be caused by many things, the condition of the growth of many mustaches in women should be checked by a doctor.
To find out the cause, the doctor will run a series of examinations including physical and supporting examinations, such as blood tests to determine hormone levels in the body.
Not only that, the doctor may also perform imaging or radiological examinations, such as with a CT scan, MRI, or ultrasound, on the ovaries and adrenal glands to detect whether there are tumors or cysts in these organs.
How to get rid of mustache in women
Mustache that grows in women can be removed by simple means, such as shaving, waxing, or pulling hair/mustache. However, this method is not able to permanently remove the mustache, so that the mustache can grow again in the future.
If you want to get rid of your mustache permanently, you need to be treated directly by a doctor.
The treatment that doctors do to permanently remove the mustache is generally different for each woman with the mustache, depending on what the causative factor is. However, some of the common treatment steps taken by doctors to remove mustache in women include:
1. Administration of drugs
Several types of drugs can be prescribed by doctors to treat hirsutism, namely the contraceptive pill (birth control pills) and antiandrogen drugs, such as flutamide, spironolactone, and finasteride, to stop the production of androgen hormones.
In addition, the doctor may also give medicine in the form of cream eflornithine which inhibits hair growth. If hair growth is caused by insulin resistance, your doctor may also prescribe diabetes medication.
These drugs usually show results after 3-6 months of use. However, if after more than 6 months of using the drug there is no result or the mustache is still growing as usual, your doctor may refer you to a specialist for laser or electrolysis therapy procedures.
2. Laser therapy
This method uses laser light to damage hair follicles and inhibit hair or mustache growth. However, it takes several times of therapy to get maximum results.
Like most medical procedures, laser therapy can cause a number of side effects, including sunburn and skin discoloration.
3. Intense pulsed light (IPL)
The procedure and how it works is similar to that of laser therapy. However, the type of light used is different. IPL utilizes light with a certain wavelength and strength to generate heat in the skin tissue. This hot temperature will then damage the hair follicles, so that hair growth becomes stunted.
The IPL procedure usually takes about 20-30 minutes per session and can be repeated several times. Although it is quite effective in removing mustache and body hair, IPL is not recommended for pregnant women or people with dark skin tones.
4. Electrolysis
This procedure is performed by inserting a small needle into each hair follicle and an electric current is applied to damage the hair follicle and inhibit hair growth. Before the needle is inserted, the doctor will give an anesthetic or local anesthetic first to prevent pain.
As with laser therapy, electrolysis needs to be done several times to get maximum results.
In addition to removing the mustache, the doctor will also treat the disease that may be the cause. The treatment carried out by the doctor will of course be adjusted to the disease suffered and the patient's overall health condition.
If you are one of the women with a mustache, you should immediately consult a doctor.
The appearance of mustache caused by heredity may not require special medical treatment. However, if the growth of many mustaches is caused by certain medical conditions, then the factors causing the appearance of these mustaches need to be treated appropriately by a doctor.