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Re: Epilation - Hormones and hair growth



Hi:
Very basic input on the issue of head hair vs. hair on body in females. All humans have a certain balance of  male vs. female sex hormones. Growth of hair on the head in both males and females is primarily controlled by a certain level of female sex hormones. Accordingly, you see only a few very bald women [other than Demi Moore when she wants to look tough, and can carry it off], but a lot of bald men.

In men who normally have plenty of testosterone & male sex hormones, they have plenty of body hair [facial, legs, back]. However, men often lose the hair on top of their heads due to an improper ratio and level  of female sex homones to their male hormones. In women who have a reduction of female to male hormones [analogues to testosterone -- some produced by ovary, some by adrenal gland], they can have thinning hair and  more body hair than usual [tendency to a mustache, legs, etc]

In your friend's case, treatment for ovarian cancer has certainly eliminated her ovarian produced female hormones which has caused a sudden  change in her female/male sex hormones and a sudden loss of head hair.  However, in women the adrenal gland produces a testosterone analogue that would keep a woman's  body hair  [other than scalp] at relatively normal levels which is why your friend hasn't lost the hair on her legs.

As a side note for balding men in the rad protection community, 15 or more years ago there was a test being done on men using a topically applied scalp cream which contained female sex hormones. [As Dave Barry say: I am not making this up].  This treatment seemed to work pretty well as far as promoting new hair growth in men, but some men in the test were developing undesirable secondary side effects as well [gynecomastia I believe its called --enlargement of the male breast from absorbing too much female hormone from the cream]. I think this approach faded away after development of other products to promote hair growth in men.

Stewart Farber, MS Public Health
email: SAFarberMSPH@cs.com




In a message dated 4/30/02 7:30:50 AM Pacific Daylight Time, Marty.Bourquin@GRACE.COM writes:


she has me stumped with one.

In a joking manner she asked me why she is
losing the hair on her head
which she would like to keep, but is not losing hair on her legs
which
she would like to lose (wouldnt have to shave them).  I could not
answer the question.  Can anyone out there provide an explanation that
I can pass on?