Hirsutism: from Brazil to a place near you

Hirsutism is the excess of terminal hairs in females and can result in immense distress. Women often spend significant time and funds seeking permanent hair removal. Commercially available physical therapies have usually already been accessed before presenting to the clinician for treatment.

We give a brief outline of physical therapies in the treatment of hirsutism with an emphasis on recently emerging hand-held laser hair removal devices for home use, which will become an increasingly important hair removal modality. The current evidence for topical ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor, oral antiandrogens, ovarian suppression and insulin sensitizers in the treatment of hirsutism is also reviewed.

With advances in home laser hair removal systems the role of the clinician will increasingly become the use of pharmacotherapy in the treatment of resistant hirsutism. This article provides a review of the current literature for the use of pharmacotherapy.

Despite the availability of a range of physical and pharmacotherapies for the treatment of hirsutism, permanent hair removal remains elusive.