Hirsutism (HUR-soot-iz-um) is a condition in women that results in excessive growth of dark or coarse hair in a male-like pattern — face, chest and back. With hirsutism, extra hair growth often arises from excess male hormones (androgens), primarily testosterone.
The bottom line. You're not weird for having hair on your breasts. It's actually pretty common and normal. It's also rarely the sign of an underlying medical problem, so unless you're experiencing other symptoms, you don't need to fret about the hair.
hairy-chest·ed ˈher-ē-ˌche-stəd. : characterized by especially exaggerated or stereotypical manliness.
In fact, all women have a small amount of the 'male' hormone, testosterone, circulating in their bodies. It is produced mainly by the adrenal glands, which are situated over the kidneys. If the skin is extra-responsive to it, testosterone encourages hair growth on the upper lip, chin, chest, lower abdomen.
Women can develop excessive body or facial hair due to higher-than-normal levels of androgen hormones. These hormones include testosterone and androstenedione. All individuals produce androgens, but these levels typically remain low in individuals assigned female at birth.
Hirsutism is the excessive growth of facial or body hair on women. Hirsutism and unwanted PCOS facial hair are very common with polycystic ovary syndrome. Hirsutism can be seen as coarse, dark hair that may appear on the face, chest, abdomen, back, upper arms, or upper legs.
Ellen Marmur, most women do indeed have abdominal hair, often due, like most other physical attributes, to normal ethnic variation or hormone levels. “When you're in a high hormone state, not only is your progesterone and estrogen high, but also your testosterone,” says Marmur.
Real Talk: Snail Trails Are Normal For Girls Too
Contrary to popular belief, snail trails are not exclusive to boys alone. Girls are also privy to the humble line of hair that reaches your naval to your crotch, and the best part is that it's just another thing that makes us all gloriously normal.
One study found that 17% of women preferred a fully shaved chest, whereas 53% wished men would trim their chest hair. This shows that women actually prefer chest hair, but it should be maintained or trimmed nicely if the hair is bushy or hair sticking out of a man's shirt.
Additionally, a study of 117 Mensa members (who have an IQ of at least 140) tended to have thicker body hair.
If you have high testosterone, you will likely have high levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This is a hormone that's stronger and more potent than testosterone. When the body has high levels of DHT, it will grow more facial and body hair.
Chest hair growth will normally start during puberty and can keep growing into your twenties. Similar to hormone levels and genetics affecting hair thickness, both factors also mean some men will have fully developed by the end of puberty, but others can see continued growth until a later age.
The development of chest hair begins normally during late puberty, usually between the ages of 12 and 18. It can also start later, between the age of 20 and 30, so that many men in their twenties have not yet reached their full chest hair development. The growth continues subsequently.
Hormones
Like other parts of the body, the skin of the areola contains hair follicles. These can be affected by the fluctuations in hormones during times of significant hormonal change, such as puberty, pregnancy, and menopause.
CHEST HAIR AT THE OFFICE: KEEP IT UNDER WRAPS
Not only can it be distracting, but it can also come off as sloppy and unprofessional. Make the effort to look as polished as possible and keep things buttoned up.
Vellus hair grows on the chest and abdomen of both sexes at all stages of development. After puberty and extending into adulthood, most males grow increasing amounts of terminal hair over the chest and abdomen areas.
Should You Shave Your happy Trail? You don't have to do anything if you are one of those lucky guys with that perfect thin line. However, if you need to groom your nether region to get a happy trail, we don't recommend shaving at all.
Who uses happy trail? While some call any abdominal hair a happy trail, the term usually refers to a thin line of hair running down to the pubic region from the navel, which resembles a trail with a happy ending … me.me.
The first is that it's referred to more scientifically as "navel fluff," though occasionally those writing about in scientific literature call it belly button lint (BBL).
Although it is not known exactly how many women have nipple hair, having hair around the nipple is fairly common. It's not considered a sign of any medical condition or reason for concern.
Butt hair — even deep in the valley of your backwoods — is perfectly normal. Most people have some hair on the cheeks, around the anus, or both.
For the most part, having back hair is completely natural. It's up to you if you want to remove it. There are many options, from affordable, frequent treatments to more lasting and expensive ones. In some cases, having back hair may be a sign of an underlying health condition, especially for women.
It's common for women to find out they have PCOS when they have trouble getting pregnant, but it often begins soon after the first menstrual period, as young as age 11 or 12. It can also develop in the 20s or 30s.
To be diagnosed with PCOS women generally need to have two out of three of the following: Irregular or absent periods. Acne, excess facial or body hair growth, scalp hair loss, or high levels of testosterone and similar hormones in the blood. Polycystic (many cysts) visible on an ultrasound.