Normal or hirsutism?! Very stressed over this...

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#1

I’m an 18 year old female. I have irregular periods but my family doctor said not to worry about it because most women are irregular, so I don’t think I have PCOS or anything.

Recently I’ve noticed short, fine, thin hair all over my body. It is literally all over my body, even on my breasts/chest area but luckily it is not noticeable unless you start looking for it. I thought maybe it was just vellus hair but that means it should be white “peach fuzz” hair but you can see my hair if you look very closely.

The thing is, I don’t know if it has been there since puberty or if it has been gradually growing. I’ve been suffering from depression since I was about 10 years old and have major, major self-esteem issues. I tend to obsess about a certain flaw for weeks, sometimes months. I lose sleep over it even. I’m thinking maybe this is one of those flaws that I’m just blowing out of proportion. This problem has triggered a bout of really deep depression, I even started to self-injure again :frowning: I lay in bed all day and I simply cannot function.

To summarize, is it normal to have fine, thin but lightly pigmented hair all over your body or should I be worried?

#2

Yes, it’s completely normal to have peach fuzz in various parts of the body. If you’re truly concerned over a hormonal imbalance issues, you can see an endicronologist specialist. However, it doesn’t sound like it’s necessary just yet. You’re 18 and your hormones are all over the place. That’s normal.

What I would advise you to do is see a counselor about the self-esteem issues. The main problem may be looking for something to be wrong with you when the issue you need to target is just self-esteem.

The hair can also be caused by anorexia, which is a self-esteem issue.

#3

Hi,
My greatest sympathy to you. You’re going through something so tough.
That hair you describe on your body is totally, entirely normal. Take that load of off your mind…

On another note, I’ve was very badly depressed myself for a few years (and close to self-harming) and the good news is - I did get better. It’s entirely possible to come out the other side (sane!) When you’re depressed you tend not to believe that recovery is possible, but it is, it is. I wish you the very best of luck.

#4

Thank you for the replies.

I’m still kind of worried about this and I feel like a circus freak but I hate, hate, hate going to the doctors and I usually won’t go unless I think there is something seriously wrong with me medically, so I’ll just see if it gets worse and if it does I’ll go get some blood work done or something.