Hirsutism (increased masculine-type sexual hair growth) is to be distinguished from hypertrichosis (generalized increase of body hair) and from virilism (organ changes tending towards masculinity) in which marked hormonal changes are alwasy observable. Hirsutism depends on age, race, heredity, hairfolicle sensitivity to testosterone, and on circulating testosterone and its precursors. The main source of testosterone and androstanedione formation is not the adrenal cortex, as previously assumed, but, as catheterization has demonstrated, the ovary. Mild forms can best be treated externally by plucking, shaving or electrolysis. In forms associated with amenorrhea the amenorrhea responds to corticoids but over a prolonged period of treatment the maximum regression of hirsutism is one-third. Good results are obtainable by reverse-sequence therapy with the competitive androgen antagonists cyproterone acetate and ethinyl estradiol (100 mg cyproterone acetate from 5th-14th day of menstrual cycle and 50 mug ethinyl estradiol from 5th-21st day). This therapy is however costly and not without side effects; it should therefore be used only for particularly troublesome cases.
多毛症（男性化类型的性毛发增多）应与多毛症（全身毛发普遍增多）和男性化（器官变化趋于男性化）相区分，在男性化中总是可以观察到明显的激素变化。多毛症取决于年龄、种族、遗传、毛囊对睾酮的敏感性，以及循环中的睾酮及其前体。睾酮和雄烯二酮形成的主要来源并非如先前假设的那样是肾上腺皮质，而是如导管插入术所证明的，是卵巢。轻度形式最好通过拔除、剃毛或电解进行外部治疗。在与闭经相关的形式中，闭经对皮质类固醇有反应，但在长期治疗中，多毛症的最大消退程度为三分之一。使用竞争性雄激素拮抗剂醋酸环丙孕酮和炔雌醇进行反序疗法可取得良好效果（在月经周期的第5至14天服用100毫克醋酸环丙孕酮，在第5至21天服用50微克炔雌醇）。然而，这种疗法成本高昂且并非没有副作用；因此，仅应在特别棘手的病例中使用。
