HIRSUTISM: This is what people do to a lady with a full grown beard

• Since her teens, Khosi, a South African, has experienced excessive hair growth.
• Despite taunts from trolls, a woman who has grown hair all over her body, including a full beard, declares that she "loves" herself.

Khosi Nkanyezi Buthelezi, 42, from Johannesburg, South Africa, suffers from excessive hair growth, which mostly affects her face, chest, back, arms and legs.

Since other women in her family shared the same appearance, the freelance book editor claimed that she was unaware of the extreme when she first noticed it as a teenager.

However, late last year, a sudden spurt of interest prompted her to consult a professional; however, the doctors were at a loss for words. She has since decided to embrace her look, even taking to TikTok to document her hair growth.

She said that while stares and verbal abuse came with the territory, it was time to hit back at trolls who sometimes took things too far, including one person who called her a ‘male’.

The freelance book editor suffers from excessive hair growth, which mostly affects her face, chest, back, arms and legs. Here, she is pictured on TikTok updating her fans on her hair growth journey

She explained: ‘I grew up accustomed to hairy women like my aunts being seen as blessed, strong and strict so I figured it was something I had inherited.

I had no health problems, so I never went to a doctor about my body hair.

‘But when I finally visited my GP, they suggested hormone-level tests for fertility and Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, they both came back negative.

‘I could have children if I wanted to and there was no need for hormonal treatment, it all seemed fine’.

However one doctor suggested Khosi might have hirsutism, a condition that mostly affects women and causes excess hair to grow on certain parts of your body.

Khosi said she’d never heard of the condition, but as it sounded serious she decided to try shaving her hair, despite family members warning her against it.

She added: ‘I’d never heard of it before, but it did make sense.

‘I remember talking to my family members about it, who warned me that shaving would cause it to grow more, but I thought that was just a myth.

At one point, Khosi tried shaving her beard despite family members warning her against it – but it just grew back even more

She then opted for laser hair removal treatment instead, which worked for a while, but the hair soon came back with force. Here, she is pictured after temporarily removing her beard.

Khosi has since decided to embrace her look, even taking to TikTok to document her hair growth

‘Plus, the nature of my job required me to be presentable, so I began razor-shaving weekly. But the more I shaved it, the more it grew.

"I tried waxing after that, but it was very painful and expensive."

Khosi then opted for laser hair removal treatment instead, which worked for a while, but the hair soon came back with force. 

She continued: ‘After 10 sessions, the hair became finer and my skin was smooth. I was convinced it worked.

‘However when I stopped for a year the hair started growing back and I had to go back to razor shaving’.

At her wits end with the growth, Khosi abandoned the battle and instead decided to ‘love’ herself – adding that beauty comes in all forms.

‘I stopped shaving and instead, started to love myself’ said Khosi. ‘I learned that self-acceptance is a crucial aspect of self-care.

‘It is the foundation for our confidence and self-esteem.

The influencer said people often stared at her with ‘fascination’ whenever she was out, and although she first embraced it, she is now demanding the ‘respect’ she deserves.

‘I’ve had to remember that beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms, and I am bringing body hair to the beauty equation’.

Khosi has a TikTok account which she uses to help tackle the stigma surrounding excess hair growth.

However, despite her unwavering display of confidence, the influencer's journey has not been easy, as people frequently share offensive remarks in public and online.

She said people often stared at her with ‘fascination’ whenever she was out, and although she first embraced it, she is now demanding the ‘respect’ she deserves.

She added: ‘People in public have reacted with shock, fascination, disgust and disapproval of my beard, but I am actively working on unlearning the need for external validation.

 Khosi may have hirsutism, a condition that primarily affects women and causes excessive hair to grow on specific body parts, according to one doctor.

What is Hirsutism and why does it happen?

Hirsutism is excessive hair growth in certain areas of the body that mainly affects women.

It’s relatively common and often a long-term problem, but there are a number of treatments to control it.

The excessive hair in hirsutism is usually thick and dark, rather than fine and fair and develops in areas where men often have hair, such as the face, neck, thighs and buttocks. 

It may also cause additional symptoms, such as oily skin, acne, a deep voice, irregular periods or no periods at all.

Hirsutism is caused by an excess of male hormones called androgens in the body, or by the body being more sensitive to these hormones.

In many cases, it’s not clear why this happens. Some women just seem to develop extra hair growth as they get older, particularly after the menopause.

In younger women, the most common cause is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that can cause irregular periods and fluid-filled sacs (cysts) on the ovaries.

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