A woman who started growing facial hair as a teen says her beard is her 'defining feature', despite receiving negative comments from strangers.
Klyde Warren, 27, was just 15 when she began to develop excess hair on her face and knew right away she didn't want to remove it.
Klyde, from Nebraska in the US, said: "It started in school and I had a thicker moustache than normal. I just decided to embrace it straight away.
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"My mother had something to say about it. She didn't like it at all and told me to get it under control but I didn't care. I refused to shave it.
"I just work on my confidence, it's OK to be a little different.
"A lot of people are self-conscious but you've got to learn to be comfortable in your own skin which can be really hard.
"The universe wanted it to be this way so I'm going to trust it."
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The freelance writer says it's easy to look after her beard - washing it once a day and giving it the occasional trim - but admits that it does have an impact on her love life.
Klyde said: "I get a lot of stares and people on Tinder will go out of their way to message me and tell me I'm disgusting and gross.
"It does bother me at the time but I'm quite confident. Nobody likes getting comments like that.
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"Some people I date embrace it too much and just see it as my defining feature, but my last boyfriend was really supportive and loved my beard in a healthy way."
According to the NHS, it is most commonly caused by polycystic ovary syndrome but in other cases - like Klyde's - the cause is not known.
It's usually diagnosed after a blood test from your GP to check hormone levels.
As well as excess hair on the face, hirsutism can cause thick, dark hair to grow on a woman's chest, neck, stomach, back, buttocks or thighs.
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It is not harmful, and those who have the condition can choose to remove the hair if they fancy, or follow Klyde's lead and embrace it.
Featured Image Credit: Mercury Press and MediaTopics: Interesting, US