How to Track Unwanted Hair Growth Over Time
Coarse hair changes too slowly to trust memory. By the time most people raise it in a consultation, they can only say it has been getting worse for a while, which gives a clinician very little to work with. A record that names the body sites, dates the change, notes how often you remove hair and sits next to your cycle, weight and medication history turns that impression into a timeline. It also gives you a baseline, which matters because any treatment takes months to show its effect.
What to record at each check
Log by body site rather than as one global score: upper lip, chin, jawline, neck, chest, around the nipples, upper abdomen and the line below the navel, lower back, buttocks and inner thighs. For each site, note whether the hair is fine and pale (vellus) or coarse, dark and terminal, and use mild, moderate or severe for density. The most useful number is removal frequency: how many days pass between shaving, plucking, waxing, threading or laser sessions, and whether that interval is shortening. A monthly photo in the same daylight, same distance, ideally 48 hours after removal, is worth more than any description. Alongside it, record period dates and flow, new acne (especially deep, painful jawline cysts), scalp thinning at the crown or temples, weight change with the number, and every medication or supplement with start dates.
Daily factors worth charting beside it
Hair follicles respond to androgen exposure over months, so daily factors will not move tomorrow's chin hair. What they do influence is the hormonal background, and that is what you are watching. Log daily medications (combined oral contraceptives, spironolactone, metformin and any testosterone or steroid exposure), supplements, sugar and refined carbohydrate intake, balanced meals, physical activity, sleep and stress. In Trace Health these sit on the same timeline as your symptom entries, so a period of higher activity and steadier eating can be seen next to cycle regularity, acne counts and energy over the following months. A realistic pattern after eight to twelve weeks looks like this: cycles arriving closer to schedule, fewer new cysts, less fatigue, while shaving frequency is still unchanged. That sequence is expected, not failure.
When to bring this to a clinician
Book promptly if coarse hair appeared or spread quickly, over weeks to a few months rather than years, especially with a deepening voice, increased muscle bulk, scalp balding at the temples or clitoral enlargement. That combination raises the question of an androgen-secreting ovarian or adrenal tumor and warrants urgent assessment. Also seek care for new hirsutism starting after roughly age 40, purple stretch marks, easy bruising, rising blood pressure or central weight gain (features that point toward Cushing's syndrome), milky nipple discharge, or periods that have stopped. For slow-onset hair growth, a routine appointment is appropriate. Bring your site list, your removal intervals, dated photos, your menstrual history since menarche, family history of hirsutism or diabetes, and a full medication and supplement list.
Using Trace Health for a slow symptom
One-tap logging with mild, moderate or severe severity means a monthly or fortnightly entry per body site takes seconds, which is realistic for something that changes this slowly. Daily lifestyle logging (medications, meals, sugar, activity, stress, sleep) charts on the same timeline, so a six-month view shows treatment start dates next to acne, cycle and energy entries. When you attend an appointment, the doctor-ready PDF report gives your clinician a dated baseline instead of a recollection, which is exactly what is needed to judge whether a therapy started six months ago is working. Data stays on your iPhone by default, with optional private iCloud sync, no account is required, and the app is available in nine languages. Nothing in the app diagnoses anything, it documents what you can then discuss with your clinician.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I take photos to track hirsutism?
Monthly is enough. Hair follicles cycle slowly, so weekly photos mostly capture how recently you shaved rather than real change. Pick a fixed day each month, use the same window or lamp, the same distance and angle, and take the photo roughly 48 hours after your last removal so regrowth is visible but not fully grown. Photograph each affected site separately, including one you consider unaffected as a comparison. Log the date in Trace Health alongside your severity entry so the images line up with your written record when you review six or twelve months later.
Why has my hirsutism treatment not worked after three months?
Three months is usually too early to judge. Anti-androgen therapy and hormonal contraceptives act on new hair growth, not on the coarse hairs already present, and each follicle has to complete its cycle before the change is visible. Most clinicians assess the effect at around six months, and full benefit can take longer. Meanwhile, mechanical removal continues. What a tracked record shows earlier is the interval between shaving or waxing sessions gradually lengthening, which is often the first measurable sign. Bring your logged intervals and photos to your review appointment and discuss next steps with your clinician.
What should I track alongside unwanted hair growth?
Track the cluster that helps a clinician interpret it. Record period dates, cycle length and flow, since irregular or absent cycles alongside hirsutism is the pattern most often associated with polycystic ovary syndrome. Add deep jawline or chest acne, scalp hair thinning, weight changes with actual numbers, fatigue, pelvic pain, low mood and premenstrual mood shifts. Note every medication and supplement with start and stop dates, including testosterone, anabolic steroids, danazol, certain progestins and valproate. In Trace Health these all sit on one timeline, so the relationships are visible at a glance.
Your health data stays on your iPhone.
No account. Private. No personal information is ever requested. Your health data stays on your iPhone by default. A backup option to your private iCloud is available. Trace Health never collects or sells your health data.
What people say
Rated 4.8 out of 5 from 50+ ratings on the App Store.
- “This app is wonderful. You can add symptoms and rearrange them as you like. The best part: your sensitive health data is only stored on your own device.” (WhoKnowsTypo, Netherlands)
- “Finally a simple iOS 26 symptom reporting app, thank you 😀” (stranack, United Kingdom)