Does anyone know why I get so much hair all over my body? On my face, chest, and butt. I went to an endocrinologist and he told me it wasn't bad enough to be treated. But it is VERY bad and embarassing. I'm only in my early twenties and shouldn't have this. I use depilatory creams and bleach but it is such a hassle to have to worry about all the time and I always leave my hair down ecuase of it and won't wear a bathing suit. What could it be and how can I fix it without having to get expensive electrolyisis that I cannot afford? Help PLEASE!

PInk, you may have hirsutism. What were your test results? If you don't know, get them. I am assuming your endocrinologist did tests on her Testosterone and DHEA Sulfate? I cannot remember what my DHEA Sulfate count was, but my Testosterone was like in the 800s and a normal count for a woman is about 200 and under. If your testosterone level was over 200, I definitely go to another doc!

You should do a search on this board for hirsutism. There have been a lot of discussions about it on the acne board. I started medication for it today.

Yes, Linda is right. Those posts I've seen and been involved in are under the Acne Health Issues posts. I'll see if I can find and bump.

Does anyone know why I get so much hair all over my body? On my face, chest, and butt. I went to an endocrinologist and he told me it wasn't bad enough to be treated. But it is VERY bad and embarassing. I'm only in my early twenties and shouldn't have this. I use depilatory creams and bleach but it is such a hassle to have to worry about all the time and I always leave my hair down ecuase of it and won't wear a bathing suit. What could it be and how can I fix it without having to get expensive electrolyisis that I cannot afford? Help PLEASE!

I have the same problem. I didn't go to an endocrinologist, I saw my family doctor who wasn't much help. He did a couple of blood/urine tests for testosterone and a whole bunch of other hormones (don't remember which), and found that everything was normal.
I also got tested for PCOS, which I do not have.

He told me that there's nothing wrong and this is "normal" for my body, and the only thing I can do is laser if I want/can afford it (which I can't because I'd pretty much have to laser my entire body to get rid of the fuzz).
I should have gone to an endo instead... though I'm sure I would probably be told the same thing you were told.

I suggest you get tested for PCOS and hormones (unless you already were). I've researched this topic A LOT and have found a ton of different results and reasons that could cause this problem- PCOS, insulin resistence, pituitary gland issues, etcetc- I got tested for most of those and don't have any of those problems.

You can always go see a different doctor and see what he/she says.
Good luck!

He told me that there's nothing wrong and this is "normal" for my body, and the only thing I can do is laser if I want/can afford it (which I can't because I'd pretty much have to laser my entire body to get rid of the fuzz).
I should have gone to an endo instead... though I'm sure I would probably be told the same thing you were told.

It's my understanding that it's not necessarily the amount of testosterone, but what the testosterone is being converted to i.e. androgens that increase oiliness, body hair, etc. Men have a problem with it too. It's the same imbalance that causes male pattern baldness.

In the acne board, many people have improved their problems with diet by cutting out sugars and simple carbs. Of course there are many reasons why cutting back on simple carbs helps your skin, but glucose messes with your hormones, including insulin which is a hormone.

Also, many people have reported taking anti-androgen supplements helps.
Some of these are Zinc, B6, Saw Palmetto, Nettle, etc. I've been taking Zinc and Saw Palmetto for about a year. Somewhere along the line my skin got less oily, but it never helped with unwanted body hair. I added B6 and cut back on carbs a few months ago, and just recently heard of and found nettle. But I started spiro yesterday, so will probably never know if that combination would have helped.

There is a member, sweetjade, who has hirsutism and controls it with a strict diet and spiro. Much of my info comes from her many interesting posts.

Do you have acne too?

It's my understanding that it's not necessarily the amount of testosterone, but what the testosterone is being converted to i.e. androgens that increase oiliness, body hair, etc. Men have a problem with it too. It's the same imbalance that causes male pattern baldness.

In the acne board, many people have improved their problems with diet by cutting out sugars and simple carbs. Of course there are many reasons why cutting back on simple carbs helps your skin, but glucose messes with your hormones, including insulin which is a hormone.

Also, many people have reported taking anti-androgen supplements helps.
Some of these are Zinc, B6, Saw Palmetto, Nettle, etc. I've been taking Zinc and Saw Palmetto for about a year. Somewhere along the line my skin got less oily, but it never helped with unwanted body hair. I added B6 and cut back on carbs a few months ago, and just recently heard of and found nettle. But I started spiro yesterday, so will probably never know if that combination would have helped.

There is a member, sweetjade, who has hirsutism and controls it with a strict diet and spiro. Much of my info comes from her many interesting posts.

Do you have acne too?
Nope, I've never had acne or any other skin problems. I have fairly dry skin actually...
The access body hair I'm experiencing isn't male pattern... I don't have thick dark hair or anything... it's more like soft light colored... but I find a lot of it all over my body. I know everyone's body is covered in hair, I guess my body hair is just extra long.
I've heard about cutting out carbs and all that (so hard to do).
Unfortunately doctors don't help with that kind of thing. They test you for hormones and if everything is "normal" they send you home. :(

I appreciate all the information everyone has given me. I used to have very bad acne that couldn't be treated with anything. As I have gotten older, it has died down with just a pimple here or there. But my face and hair get extremely oily. If I get tested and I have to take medication for if anything comes back negative, will the medication help with the hair growth? I mean will it get rid of the hair I already have or will it just prevent future hair from coming? And is it possible to request for my endo to test me for all the things that you all have listed, or does the doctor only test for what they want to test for? Also, I will try these herbs and see if they help at all. Thank you everyone so much.

How many Mg were you taking of each? Thanks!

How many Mg were you taking of each? Thanks!

Of the supplements? You could ask at a health food store, but I think most of us are guessing and/or trial and error.

The consensus on the acne board is that you shouldn't take more than 50 mgs of Zinc although I've seen a few people say they take more. I've never looked it up for myself. Zinc makes you nauseous btw, so take it with food.

The Saw Palmetto I take is by Sundown and the capsules have 450 mgs. For the past year I'd been taking one a day but doubled it a few months ago. The recommended dosage on the bottle is 900mgs, but that is for men and for their prostrate health. I've heard of women taking thousands of mgs.

I just took a multi with a high amount of B vitamins- whatever 150% of the RDA is. Although a few months ago I found a B complex with 5 mgs that has vitamin C and Zinc so started that. I also take vitamin C several times per day.

I just recently found Nettle by Nature's Way at whole foods. No one's ever said how much they take, so I just took the recommended dosage on the bottle which is 2 870mg capsules. I heard about it on this post:
http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=269698

And last week, I was prescribed 200 mgs of Spironolactone. Although I was told to cut the pills to start out at a lower dosage to avoid any discomfort from it being a diuretic.