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Hirsutism - Management
How should I manage hirsutism in postmenopausal women?
For postmenopausal women:
- Discuss cosmetic methods of hair reduction and removal, as these will remain an important part of management.
- If hirsutism is mild and does not significantly impact on the woman's quality of life — consider no additional treatment.
- If additional treatment is required, consider:
- Topical eflornithine, for women with facial hirsutism.
- Benefit should be noted in 6–8 weeks, and eflornithine should be discontinued if no benefit is seen within 4 months of starting treatment.
- If improvement is seen, continued treatment is necessary to maintain the benefits. Once the cream is discontinued, hair growth returns to pretreatment levels within about 8 weeks.
- Referral for initiation of specialist treatment.
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