Hirsutism: Management and Therapeutic Options

    January 2001
    Susan R. Davis, Jane Tran
    TLDR Most excessive hair growth is due to idiopathic hirsutism or PCOS; treatment starts with cosmetic methods and drugs like cyproterone acetate or spironolactone, with results in 6-12 months.
    The document from 23 years ago discussed the management and therapeutic options for hirsutism, a condition characterized by excessive hair growth. The majority of patients with this condition either had idiopathic hirsutism or features of polycystic ovary syndrome. The initial treatment involved cosmetic measures such as bleaching, shaving, and waxing. It was noted that it generally took 6-12 months of drug treatment for improvements to be noticed. The first line of drug therapy included cyproterone acetate or spironolactone, either alone or in combination with an oral contraceptive pill.
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