The amount of body hair you have is largely determined by your genetic makeup. There’s a wide range of normal hair distribution, thickness and colour due to differences in heredity. Women with excess hair growth need to be evaluated by a health care provider, especially if the hair develops or worsens rapidly, or if her relatives have comparatively less hair growth. In the vast majority of cases, hirsutism is not caused by a serious medical condition; however, the cause of hirsutism should be determined, and underlying conditions may need to be treated. Sometimes, excess hair growth can occur with no identifiable cause. This happens more frequently in certain populations, such as in women of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and South Asian ancestry.