Ladies, let’s face it, at some point in our lives we’ve all experienced a little hair that’s come out of nowhere. I don’t know about you but in my experience, this discovery isn’t of my own but rather discovered from a friend or loved one who’ll either point it out, or worse, yank it out when you least expect it. While this is actually normal, hirsutism, is a condition that is more extreme and afflicts women in the PCOS category (Make sure to download my FREE updated PCOS Guide now). So today I’ll be showing you:
A Facial Mask for Hirsutism
I’ve also included food and supplement tips for you as well, because heck, that’s just how I roll. Now let’s go through a little summary of what your Quickie of the week covers:
What is hirsutism
Hirsutism (HUR-soot-iz-um) is a condition of unwanted, male-pattern hair growth in women. It results in excessive amounts of stiff and pigmented hair on body areas where men typically grow hair – primarily on the face, neck, chest and back.
The amount of body hair you have is largely determined by your genetic makeup. Hirsutism may arise from excess male hormones called androgens, primarily testosterone, which we see quite often in cases of PCOS.
The causes of hirsutism
The causes that I’ve chosen to focus on here are for those women suffering from PCOS because it’s the audience I mainly work with. For these women, when stress levels are high, their quite go-to are complex carbohydrates (so think breads, pastas and rice), sugary treats or for other alcohol. These foods (and drinks) can increase insulin levels in the blood (our fat storage hormone). And over time this can lead to insulin resistance – in other words, the body has no idea when to stop pumping out insulin, so they keep gaining and struggle losing the weight. Believe it or not even adding dairy that can increase our insulin response up to 300% to any given meal (and yes this includes goat and sheep dairy as well).
Dietary Suggestions – Veggies vs complex carbs
Staying away from complex carbohydrates, refined sugars and alcohol are obviously a big one. My rule of thumb is replace these foods with high fibre vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and leafy greens like collard, kale and arugula. My rule of thumb is always make sure that your veggies equal 50% of your plate or more and view meat as a condiment to that.
Dietary Suggestions – What about juicing?
I absolutely love juicing but truthfully it needs to be done the right way. Most often I see people juicing the most sugary of fruits (pineapple, melons, mangos, etc.) and after eating fructose (aka fruit sugar), 100 percent of the metabolic burden rests on your liver. And this fructose is turned into fatty acids and triglycerides and is mostly stored as fat. These fatty acids created can build up as fat droplets in your liver and skeletal muscle tissues, eventually causing insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Supplement suggestion: Inositol powder
This is probably one of my favourite supplements for women struggling with insulin resistance, high levels of testosterone and estrogen, It’s also incredible for those suffering with high levels of anxiety which could be estrogen related. My only caution with using inositol powder is that it can create loose bowel movements, bloating and gas. So I always suggest versus going to the full dose of one tablespoon, start at half a teaspoon and gradually work your way up.
Facial Mask for Hirsutism
While this facial mask has no scientific claims to substantiate its efficacy, I will say that when using it every day for a month, I’ve had patients see a reduction in facial hair. It’s also incredible for hormonal acne as well. I’ve been using it every day and my skin tone even looks better, so I’m a bit obsessed with this. Here’s how to make it.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp chickpea flour
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- Milk to make a paste (this will also prevent your face from turning orange!)
- *Please note I have never used almond milk or any other dairy alternative for this, so I can't guarantee that it'll prevent your face from turning orange, so please do a spot test beforehand just to make sure if you choose to use an alternative.
Instructions
- Mix altogether, slowly adding the milk. Apply and then leave on for up to 20 minutes. Rinse off and moisturize with either rose hip or coconut oil.
