Clinical evaluation of body hair in healthy women

AIM: to study the amount and distribution of terminal body hair in non-hirsute women consulting in a public outpatient clinic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: two hundred thirty six premenopausal women consulting in a birth control clinic or consulting for acute non-endocrinological diseases were studied. Body hair was assessed with a semi-quantitative clinical method described by Ferriman and Gallwey. RESULTS: Ninety-five percent of women had a score equal or less than 5. No correlations were found between the score and body mass index or age. Partial scores over 1 were found specially in the lower abdomen, chest, superior lip and thighs. CONCLUSIONS: This sample of women, coming from middle and low socioeconomic levels, appears more hairless than European or North American Women. Thus, hirsutism must be suspected with scores over 5. These results cannot be extrapolated to all Chilean women, due to differences in ethnical backgrounds.