Hey Dr Sue — Why Do I Have Hair Around My Nipples?

The simple answer is because you’re a normal human being.

While we often associate hair on the chest with men, it’s normal for people of all sexes to have hair around the nipple.

If you’re female and just starting to notice hair when you hadn’t seen it before, that’s also perfectly normal. This can be due to changes in hormones.

If you’re female and starting to notice a lot of hair around the nipples, combined with having irregular periods, you might want to talk to a heath care professional. These can be signs of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

If you recently started taking a new medication and noticed the hair growth, I suggest you follow up with the person who prescribed you the medication.

Usually when I get a question like this, the follow up is “do I have to remove the hair?” And that is completely up to you! If it makes you uncomfortable or really unhappy with your body you can remove it. Be careful though, the area around the nipple can be really sensitive.

If a partner is making you uncomfortable about it, and is pressuring you to remove the hair, I suggest you take a minute to think about that. Do you really want to be with a person who makes you uncomfortable about your body? Someone who’s telling you what’s okay and…