Ask a doctor: Does excessive nipple hair growth mean anything?

Hairy nipples may be many things, but the one thing they're not is abnormal.

Too many nipple hairs, however, might be symptomatic of a condition.

"Women carry a low level of testosterone in their bodies. These levels are usually too low to cause excessive hair growth in places such as the face or even around the nipples," says Dr Michelle Chia, a resident doctor at DTAP Clinic Bencoolen.

The keyword here is "excessive", so you should only be concerned if you have an overgrowth of hair around your nips. Don't know what constitutes "normal" growth? A quick Google image search of hairy nips will help.

Excessive nipple hair growth may be cause for concern

According to Dr Chia, excessive hair growth around the nipples may be an indication of excessively high levels of male hormones in your body, so if it's something you've noticed, you might want to see a doctor.

"The most common condition related to this excess in hair growth is polycystic ovarian syndrome, whereby there's a hormonal imbalance with excessive androgen production," she says.

"This is what leads to the excessive hair growth over the nipples, face, arms, leg or body and also acne."

If there are no issues, the hairs can be easily removed.

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Got an all-clear from your doctor but bothered by your nipple hairs?

You can easily remove them by shaving, waxing, IPL or laser hair removal.

The only thing, though, is that the process, whichever it may be, might be quite uncomfortable.

"Because the nipple area is extremely sensitive, hair removal in that area may lead to skin irritation," says Dr Chia.

At the end of the day, whether or not you want to keep your nipples hair-free is a personal decision.

What matters most really is that you make a choice you're comfortable.

This article was first published in CLEO Singapore.