Why do girls have hair on their chests?

Chest hair is a phenomenon caused by male androgens and is a secondary sexual characteristic of men. Women also have a certain amount of androgen in their bodies, which is to ensure the normal development of their muscles, pubic hair, armpit hair, etc. However, some women with excessive androgen will also grow chest hair. Of course, this is physiological growth of chest hair. If a woman grows chest hair because of polycystic ovary syndrome, it is pathological!

1. Excessive androgen causes women to grow chest hair

Androgen is an important sex hormone in women. Androgens in women are mainly secreted by the adrenal cortex and ovaries. In addition, androstenedione, an intermediate product of estrogen synthesis in the ovaries, can also be converted into androgen-gastrin in peripheral tissues.

The effects of androgens in women include the following:

1. Androgens are the precursors of estrogen synthesis, so promoting estrogen synthesis is the main function of androgens in women. 2. Maintain normal female reproductive function.

3. Maintain the normal development of female pubic hair, armpit hair, muscles and the whole body.

4. Girls grow rapidly during puberty and are also affected by androgens. However, if the female body secretes too much androgen, because androgen can inhibit the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone by the hypothalamus and has an antagonistic effect on estrogen, the ovarian function will be suppressed and amenorrhea or even masculinization will occur. At the same time, it can cause endocrine disorders, leading to acne and hirsutism.

2. Physiological areola hair growth

Everyone has hair follicles around their nipples, and the nipples begin to grow hair during development, so almost all women have nipple hair growth problems to varying degrees. Some women have a few tufts of very fine hair next to their nipples, like the hair on a peach; some women have longer, obvious sweat hair between their breasts.

3. Pathological hair growth on the areola

There is also a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome, which is also an endocrine disease in which the ovaries are enlarged and contain many small fluid-filled cysts, the level of androgen increases, and ovulation cannot occur. Such patients may have excessive hair growth and hair around the areola. If this is the case, it is recommended to go to the hospital as soon as possible to rule out pathological factors causing the symptoms.