The human body has hair follicles and is covered with hair. The hair growth will be different in different places. Some of the body hair is think and transparent while some are thick and dark. Over time, long and coarse hair growing in places like ears, chins and even on your nipples.
Hair nipples are pretty normal in women. If you see black, wiry type hair on your nipples then you do not need to worry as you are not the only person who has it.
In most of the cases, hairy nipples is not something you need to worry about. For many people, this is a normal part of the changes that are happening in their bodies. In rare cases, it can be a sign of a problem and you should contact a doctor.
Causes
Most of the women have hairy nipples. There are very common causes of this.
Hormonal changes
When there is a fluctuation in the levels of your hormones, you may see a variety of symptoms. These fluctuations may occur during pregnancy or menopause. Certain hormonal changes happen in woman’s 20’s and 30’s that can cause changes in the hair.
Excessive production of male hormones
An excess amount of androgens that are normally found in abundance in the males causes problems in women including excessive hair growth.
Excessive production of androgens can lead to symptoms like:
- oily skin or acne
- missed menstrual period (amenorrhea)
- increase in muscle mass
- male-pattern baldness
Certain medications
There are certain medications that cause side effects like excessive hair growth. These medications include glucocorticosteroids, testosterone, and immunosuppressants.
Polycystic ovary syndrome
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) occurs due to the imbalance in the levels of the reproductive hormones. It is found in 1 from 10 women of childbearing age. It causes side effects like:
- irregular periods
- infertility
- ovarian cysts
- excessive hair growth
Cushing’s syndrome
When there is an increase and continued exposure to excessive cortisol, a glucocorticosteroid hormone causes Cushing’s syndrome. This can be a result of taking an overdose of glucocorticosteroid medication or tumors in the brain, lungs or adrenal glands. Some of the symptoms are similar to PCOS. Along with excessive hair growth and irregular menstrual cycles, there will be other symptoms.
How to treat hairy nipples
You will not need to remove the hair that grows around your nipples as they will not cause any problems. But if you do not like it then you can remove them. There are several treatment options to get remove them.
Trimming
This is not a risky method and you can try it your home. But, be careful while doing it. Don’t cut your breasts while cutting them. Take a small manicure scissors and hold the hair with your fingers or tweezers. Cut the hair close to your skin. It will grow again so you will have to trim it frequently.
Tweezing
This is an easy method to remove the nipple hair but you need to keep few things in mind before plucking them. Your areolas and the skin around it is sensitive so you might experience some discomfort while you pluck them. To reduce this feeling, you should pluck them after taking a warm water shower. The warm water opens up the pores so the hair comes out easily and is less painful.
When you pluck the hair, there is a possibility of infection or ingrown hair. So pluck it carefully and look for the signs of infection like redness, tenderness or pus.
Shaving
You can use a razor to remove them while you are taking a shower. But cover the delicate skin of your nipple with your hand. Even in shaving, there is a risk of infection and ingrown hair when they grow again. There are also chances that you accidentally cut off the breast or nipple and hurt yourself with a razor. So you need to be careful while doing this.
Waxing
Another way of removing hair is with sugar or wax but this can be a little painful as the skin around your nipple is sensitive. Avoid waxing your own nipple hair. Instead, it is advisable to go to a salon or ask someone who knows how to do it. In this method also you will have a risk of an infection or ingrown hair.
Laser or electrolysis
Both of these treatments will help you to slow down the hair growth. This is a little expensive as each session will cost around $100. A plastic surgeon or a cosmetic dermatologist will do this procedure. These treatments are a little uncomfortable as the skin around your nipples is sensitive.
Hormonal treatment
If the reason for the growth of the hair around your nipples is the imbalance in the levels of the hormones then the doctor might prescribe hormonal medications. These will help to balance the hormonal levels. Birth control pills contain estrogen and progestin hormones and this is a common option. But depending on your need, single hormone treatment is a potential treatment option.
Can you use bleach and hair removal cream?
Bleach and hair removal creams that are available in the market but they should not be used for removing the hair around the nipple because it will cause irritation.
When to see a doctor?
In most of the cases, you will not require to visit a doctor for this situation. But if you are seeing hair growth in some other unusual area or you are seeing some symptoms then you should see a doctor.
You doctor will tell you if the hair growth is because of some natural changes or is a sign of some problem like PCOS or Cushing’s syndrome. They will do several tests to find out the actual cause of this problem. You might even want to talk with your doctor about the safe ways you can use to remove your hair that are growing around your nipple. Doctors might give you some tips on how to remove hair by reducing the risks for any type of complications.
