multiple hairs growing out of one follicle?

[ireland107]

Hi,
I'm a 29 year old male.  My question is quite simple.  Over the past six months or so, I've noticed my body hair increasing, seemingly every day.  I now have visible hair on my knuckles and mid-digital region, my toes, and the hair on my upper thighs is even getting more noticeable.  To top it off, there seems to be 2-3 hairs growing out of most follicles on my arms and legs.  Is this normal?  I went to my PC physician, and he ran tests on my thyroid and testosterone levels.  Everything came back perfectly normal.  But why then is my body hair increasing so much? This is more of a "piece of mind" thing for me now.  2-3 hairs growing from the same follicle?  Is this really all just genetics, or is there some type of underlying cause at play?  I'm a healthy, physically active guy.

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi

Multiple hairs in a follicle may suggest pili multigemini which is also called  "compound hairs, are considered rare although there have been no studies to define the actual frequency in the general population.The name describes a condition where several separate hair fibers bunch together and emerge from the skin through a single hair canal. The hair looks like a bunch of flower stalks in a vase." Is this similar to your case?

Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pili_multigemini


Folliculitis have been associated with conditions wherein multiple hairs grow in one hair follicle. Other conditions which may be associated with this are scarring alopecia ( when the hair on the head is involved ) and tufted hair follicles. Other underlying diseases have to be ruled out like an underlying skin condition which may be autoimmune or inflammatory by nature.

You may discuss this with your physician.

[MutantX]

I have the same thing also. I have been closely observing my body hair for years now and on most of my legs, chest, back, shoulders, arms and so forth, I have 2-3, sometimes 4 hairs growing from a single follicle, and extremely close together. I have not observed this on my beard, only on body and scalp. I have never come across another man who has this condition. My body hair gets very long, seems to keep growing, grows back extremely quick(hours), except in two small spots; on my thumb side of my hands and on a small portion inner thighs, where normal single follicle hair growth is, and  the hair is short and finer.

Yeah, hormone tests usually come back normal and all, I have had all that done, many times I really believe now, that it is a freak genetic underlying cause and has something to do with a mutated or different gene structure Or it could be a double or triple copy of the gene that signals hair growth on the body, which is usually masked in most individuals.

My condition has been a source of embarrassment and frustration for years. I have very, very dark hair on my body, which is abnormally coarse and thick, and I also think I have over stimulation of body hair going from having excess testosterone when I was younger. I think I went through puberty earlier than most boys.

No physician I have been to has addressed this, but since they only give 5-10 min of their time and really don't listen to my concerns, I don't think I have been looked closely enough. I have no faith is Western medicine.
You should see if your dad or anyone in your family is known to have the same thing with 2-3 hairs coming out of the same follicle. I know I am not normal, compared to every other man with body hair. And yes, Folliculitis is common with this and with body hair in general; I get it all time and really have to exfoliate a lot, there are red dots that usually itch and are inflammed. I think laser hair removal is the only option to reduce the hair, but that is expensive and I doubt there are many studies that allow you to get it for free. I still am learning about this and am I trying to find anyone that has a similar condition to mine, but no luck and from all the observing and locker rooms I have been and travels. I have never found anyone with the same thing.

[LondonMike29]

dude i have only had this problem starting at 28 till now 29 I dont know what this is either and my mustash is embarrising and super overgrown where the hair starts to grow in the edge of my lip line and has to have constant plucking to even kiss my GF have you found out any more about this stuff yet ?? im also the only person that i have ever met w/ this problem also.. london ontario canada

[ohiojones]

I am a 24 year old male and I have experienced multiple hairs (anywhere from 2 to 12) growing from the same follicle in my beard. the men in my family have always had a lot of bodyhair, but no one has mentioned this. I frequently pull out clusters of up to a dozen hairs all attached in one casing. it is quite embarrassing internally although i doubt anyone really notices. i think certain pores on my face are enlarged from acne in my adolescence and allow multiple hairs to grow through. I haven't been to a dermatologist about it, because it doesn't impact my quality of life other than an occasional itchy spot in my beard until I pull out those hairs. Hopefully the additional info might help some of us understand whats up.

[mickatmad]

Hey man I suffer the same EXACT thing you are going through.  It seems after high school the air just kept getting longer and more populated.  Then I looked at my arm and noticed that there are 2 hairs growing out of the same follicle.  I'm thinking, what is this.  With dark hair like mine it is very nitceable and embarrasing.I suffer the pain and wax it all off because I just got tired of the joking around by my peers.  It is very hard on the ego and self esteem.  I have looked also for this type of problem on th enet and can't really find any useful info on tihs topic. So...if there are any doctor's that read this thing any info would be great.  

[Femalesufferer]

I am a 36 year old female who has this problem as well...I was diagnosed 7 years ago with Hidradenitis Suppurativa, a disease classified as being of my sebacious bearing sweat glands, or sex glands, if you will. I am on disability and still cant get more than 10 min of a doctors time to ask about this. I usually avoid going to the dr as much as possible as someone can wih my condition. I believe there are studies going on about my HS suggesting it is a follicular disorder, as opposed to a glandular one. Apparently it is a disease most prevalent in african american s, but i am caucasian, although i do have naturally curly hair, which would probably lend support to the follicular theory. SO yeah, if you think you guys have a hard time with this...imagine being a woman and having the same problem  >.<

[hackmcgee]

I have the same problem it is horrible and the fact that no one knows what it is makes it worse. Someone please help!!!!!

[Moe6]

Aside from having multiple hairs in one follicle, I've recently noticed hair growing out of my penis-hole... it's sprouting out like flowers in a vase!  HELP!

[Arkay84]

I got 2-3 THICK hairs all over me (not my penis hole). And im losing it on my head. Its like a sick joke.
Anyway Im getting laser hair removal. Thats the good thing about being hairy, the lasers are more efficient for removing thick hair. But it does sting, im not going to lie. I had to shave my chest. It looks really odd with nothing- kind of feminine.

In terms of price it is not that expensive anymore, all these beauty places are dying for business, u got to make a deal with them. Im getting 3 sessions on my back for $360, they say u need around 6 to get rid of it totally but im not fussed if theres a little hair there. Its totally normal. Even for super models and actors, they get themselves waxed and shaved and lasered too.

[weitanyun]

I am 22 years old and have been experiencing the same problem for the last 4 years and it was rapidly getting worse. I have a pretty decent knowledge of medicine as I ran a pharmacy for 4 years so I went to my doctor and told them I wanted to take a minocycline ( a dermatological antibiotic) to slow down my growing problem of folliculitis. It worked very well along with using hibiclense wash ( antimicrobial and antiseptic cleanser) once every other week. I then decided to do my own study and stopped using both of the items and my problem cam back but not as bad as it was. I am currently taking my meds on a regular basis and doing very well hoping that in the next couple of months I will no longer have to take the medicine as I burn quickly from being in the sun. I hope this helps some of you, maybe with talking to your doctor about these options.  My father has the same problem but he just lets his happen, however I could not do that with trying to model.

[Vib007]

Hi folks , I am also going thru the samething , I am in India , things started changing all of a sudden for me too, I started seeing unusual growth of hair on my body and condition is so worse now that I can't even walk a long distance and pick any heavy weight as it give a sudden stimulation to unusual hairgrowth on my body, I felt hair growing all over my body and those were quite long and thick , though I never had a such bad hair growth on my body ever before, however earlier I was quite healthy and was doing lot of exercise but now I am totally stopped and cant enjoy my life like other people at all I tried to serach lot on internet on my issue but never found any solutin till date , I just feel myself out of this world with unidentified disease, its very disgusting as I cant share this with any one, one intresting thing regarding 2 hair from 1 follicle is that I have seen growth of 2 hair also on those areas where I never shaved or removed my hair by any means , I believe no doctor has any solution to it and as they dont have answer to our questions they just talk anything stupid of their choice to console us , which is total nonsense , they dont have guts to say that they have no answer to this.

[Lauren_Clare]

I am an 18 year old female, and I have the same thing in my genital area. sometime the area around the over crowded follical can get red and irritated... Help!

[lildan]

i am 21 year old female and have the same problem, i have sensitive skin so when i use razors or hair remover i am left with a rash that itches for about a week. if i hair remove in the evening the following morning my legs are spiky again and the day after that the hairs are almost back again so im begining to wonder if its evn worth hair removing. its so embarassing especially as a female. Its not just my legs its my whole body and there is atleast 2-3 hairs from each folicle. i am hairyier than my brother how shameful! my dad was hairy but i always put this down to him being a man.

[rossi_skiier]

Its weird that everyone here is so much older, I'm only 14 and I have to deal with this problem too. It *****, and gets soo annoying from everyone joking about it. Someone's GOT to know whats going on...Is it genetic? Is laser all I have to look forward to? Help.

[Rannug]

Chiming in here.  23 years old, with the same problem of multiple hairs (mostly 2 but up to 6+) from single follicles ALL OVER MY BODY.   I literally have an Austin Powers chest.  And I look like a faun from the waist down.  The hairs are VERY black and VERY thick.  And nearly every follicle on my chest grows at least two hairs.  It has been a source of embarassment for years, making going to the pool or taking my shirt off for any reason around friends or family not really an option.  

I've recently started shaving my chest, but find I have to do it about every other day, and even then the hair is so dark that you can see it under the skin (I have fair skin) after shaving.    I am considering laser hair removal... but I don't really want to be a hairless nit, I just want LESS of it.... except on my head of course where I am losing it!  

It really IS a sick joke!

[ro178]

Hi... I'm wondering if everyone here put a list of their usual food and beverages intake ... and check for similarities... maybe its something we're digesting regularly is causing this problem while going unnoticed by hormone tests.... milk maybe? many cows are being fed all types of additives and hormones ... i don't know... just a thought ...  

[ro178]

I just found these, maybe useful: 1) Excess protien food must be avoided (Like meat, Mutton and Albumin). 2) Vitamin B12 supplements may help to reduce the intensity. 3) Increase in the fiber content of food will reduce the pili multigemini disorder. 4) Avoiding of over exposure of hair to sun radiation. 2) Reduction of usage of shampoo (with excess sodium laurylsulphite and detergent based shampoos). 5) Do not expose hair to air flow (e.g. during traveling) and UV radiation.

Found it @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pili_multigemini

[crimbo502]

Hi, I'm 18 years old, 18 and a half actually, as my birthday is VERY soon !

But I also have this OUTRAGEOUS problem of 2-3 and sometimes 5 !!! hairs growing out of one follicle.

However, I do not feel this is such a problem, as there are certain females out there who feel this is an attrative and extra-ordinary trait.

I feel we are very spectacular indeed, and I also believe that we are a group of sexual DEMONS.

Love all you follicle freaks,
love David Slattery.

Facebook me baby ;)

[alibee9207]

I've always had trouble with my legs, it seems that my calves are the only part of my body where multiple hairs grow from the same follicle. They are either coarse and thick or soft and fine and impossible to find. That, added to extremely dry skin creates bumps that get infected when i shave. As a 18 yr old female, this is more than annoying. I wish there was some way to fix this.

[ann2488]

I am a 40yr old female and i suffer from 2-3 hairs growing out of one follicle it steadily got worse over the years. You can see it under the skin even after i have just shaved, thick coarse black hair just waiting there to grow back quickly.  I always thought i was a freak of nature, the only one in the world with this problem.  I never get a close shave no mater what kind of razor i buy. When i shave i have to use really hot water and soak for about 10min to soften up the hair a little bit, or i will get razor burn.  I noticed this problem has only gotten worse over the years.  My husband is very understanding about it, and says it does not bother him at all, but being a woman it is extra hard.  I get ingrown hairs and have to tweeze them out.  Infected hairs that leave zit like sores.  It is awful, i have never really talked to anyone, including my husband about how this affects me emotionally.  I am relieved that i am not the only one who suffers from this.  Ironically and this is not a healthy alternative but one thing i did notice was when i got a free tanning bed membership i went every day for 30 days, and when i would shave the hair seemed to come off easier and grow back slower.  But i stopped for fear of skin cancer. I would love to be able to afford to have the lazier treatments done from my ankle to my thigh.  For you men out there sorry you have this problem, for all the women out there, please know you are not alone and you are beautiful no matter what!

[lynn541]

I am female and from my Dad's side of the family I inherited being very hairy.  I had multiple hair growth from follicles.  Investing in laser hair removal for my legs (upper and lower), forearms, underarms and full bikini and genital area was the best therapy I could ever invest in. I can't tell you how much better it made me feel.  You might consider it, expensive but worth every penny.

[snubbyyobuddy]

Hi im an 18yo male and i also have this same problem.
its been like this for almost 2 years  and havent talked to anyone about cause i didn know it was a problem. but i just went to the bathroom and saw that its now happening around my nipples and i dont see it much as a problem but more as an inconvienence to me cause i like pullin em out lol. but i started reading up and now its talkin about rapid hair growth? thats insane my family has a history of thin hair and i have extremley thick hair and it grows FAST. i shave my head and itll grow about 3 inches a month.but lately ive noticed that the back of my hands and knuckles have grown hair out of no where and on my arms going down is a mix of black and blonde and brown hairs (im naturaly blonde)ive actually noticed alot of things about my body changing and was wondering if it was like a second stage of puberty?? your advice is much needed :) thank you guys and gals

[gregkodysz]

so i am an 18 year old male with this same problem is mostly resides in the leg area. from the tops of my toes all the way up to about the top of the croch is where it stops. i was looking at all the hairs and noticed that almost every single leg hair had another hair growing in the same follicle... now you can imagine how hairy my legs look and yes its bad... i also have random long black hairs growing on the back on my arms .. i dont know if i do have this or maybe im just a hairy guy it would be nice to know one way or another.

[ttcat]

Hi,, im 16 and the same thing is happening to me but its happening to my pubes and I think it is from shaving to early,, because i did'nt have any problems befor i shaved,, but then i did, and i noticed red inflamed spots (not an STD im a virgin still) and then 2-3 hairs in one follicle.. someone help!!!??? if you have any tips on how to make it stop or go away email me at:
***@****
Thankyou

[aj6800]

I have the multiple hair/one follicle problem in my bikini area.  Shaving always left my skin irritated, red and bumpy.  Then I got LASER HAIR REMOVAL (at a dermatologist's office).  OMG, this is the best thing ever invented!!!!!  It works best on people with pale skin and dark hair.  I had 2-3 treatments, enough to make grooming less irritating and more manageable.  Let's just say it's easier to mow the grass in a backyard as opposed to a football field.  haha  (I've noticed the website Groupon will intermittently feature specials for discounts on laser hair removal.)  Seriously, it will be the best thing you ever did.