A hairy situation
Dear doc,
I am a woman and I have hair growing around the nipples of my breast and on my chest. Someone told me that I am turning into a man and that I will become a lesbian. Is this true?
First of all, you are not turning into a man and you are definitely not turning into a lesbian. Whoever told you that is completely mistaken.
Yours is a common problem faced by many women. It is embarrassing and can be quite troublesome to deal with.
In the past, women would try shaving the hair or trimming it with a scissors. This did not give good results and until recently, we really didn’t have any good treatment for this condition.
The lasers would work for this condition but the older lasers really only worked on white skin and would burn the skin of ethnic patients.
We can now use the Nd Yag with a wavelength of 1064 nm on black skin. This newer laser can cure this condition in several treatments.
Note that this area is particularly sensitive and becomes more so at some times of the month depending on a woman’s hormones. Therefore, the dermatologist needs to be extra careful.
Also, since only the hair in the growing phase is destroyed by the laser light, you will need to visit the dermatologist several times.
At last, we have the solution to a social, physical and psychological problem!
Dr Persadsingh, skin specialist, is the author of Acne in Black Women and The Hair in Black Women.
