Possible causes of excessive hair growth

What are the possible causes of excessive hair growth and how can it affect my treatments?

The causes of excessive hair growth pattern are many and varied, including:

* Heredity
* Pregnancy
* Glandular and/or hormonal imbalances (possible PCOS condition for women), including diseases causing these effects
* Insulin resistance issues
* Thyroid problems
* Reactions to certain medications
* Normal aging processes
* Excessive temporary removal methods like waxing, tweezing, creams and depilatories, etc

Laser candidates with excessive coarse hair on uncommon areas should explore a possible underlying medical reason for the growth before starting laser treatments. If there is something in the body consistently triggering new hair growth, laser treatments might seem ineffective as they only kill the hair that’s currently present. Laser treatments do not prevent potential new growth.

Women with PCOS hair growth patterns (upper lip, chin, cheeks, etc) are advised to see an endocrinologist. Men can get tested for insulin resistance. Talk to your doctor if you suspect you might have an underlying medical condition causing excessive hair growth before starting laser hair removal. Once the condition is under control through treatment/medication, laser hair removal can then be performed to kill the currently present hair.