Treatment When there is an underlying endocrine cause of hirsutism,treatment of this may help. For idiopathic hirsutism, treatmentshould be tailored to the needs of the individual. Formild cases counselling alone may be sufficient. Excessive hair can be removed by depilatory creams, waxingor shaving. Follicles can be destroyed by electrolysis orcertain types of laser therapy. For some patients the antiandrogencyproterone acetate (given together with ethinyloestradiol to maintain a normal menstrual cycle) can gradually reverse hirsutism, but the effect only lasts as long asthe treatment.