Skin and hair: the honest numbers
Evidence last assessed 2026-10-14.
In short
- What the research shows
- About half had hirsutism and about 6 in 10 acne in one clinic study; scalp hair loss is about 20–30%.
- What it doesn't show
- These are how-common numbers: they do not grade yours or replace a dermatologist.
- PMOS
- Skin and hair
See studies and method
What the evidence says
In one US clinic study of 276 women with the condition, about half had hirsutism and about 6 in 10 had acne, both more than in women referred for the same symptoms who turned out not to have it. Pooled studies put scalp hair loss at about 20–30%. Hirsutism tends to be milder in East Asian women and more marked in Hispanic, South Asian and Middle Eastern women.
Hirsutism: 53.3% of women meeting the criteria in one US clinic study, against 31.2% of referred women who did not. Acne: 61.2% against 40.4% in the same study. Scalp hair loss: about 20–30% in pooled studies, with a pooled estimate of 28%. A systematic review of ethnicity found East Asian women less hirsute than White women, and Hispanic, South Asian and Middle Eastern women more, so no single global number is honest.
What this does not show
The hirsutism and acne figures come from one clinic that saw women referred for symptoms, so they likely run higher than in everyone with the condition, and Neta holds no verified acne figure by ethnicity. Hirsutism scoring depends on who examines and on hair type, and surveys miss women who remove hair before anyone counts it. How-common numbers mean you are not alone; they do not grade how severe yours is, they are not a prognosis, and they do not replace a dermatologist.
Sources, as Neta holds them
Schmidt TH, Khanijow K, Cedars MI, Huddleston HG, Pasch LA, Wang ET, et al. Cutaneous findings and systemic associations in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. JAMA Dermatol. 2016;152(4):391-8. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2015.4498
People compared with each other · 401 participants
Carmina E, et al. Female Pattern Hair Loss and Androgen Excess: A Report From the Multidisciplinary Androgen Excess and PCOS Committee. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2019;104(7):2875-91. doi:10.1210/jc.2018-02548
Systematic review
Sendur SN, Yildiz BO. Influence of ethnicity on different aspects of polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review. Reprod Biomed Online. 2021;42:799-818. doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2020.12.006
Systematic review