Hair Removing Methods

Men and women alike often remove hair from certain body areas. Just about every man has removed hair from his face at one time or another, and some women have as well. Removing hair from the legs and the armpits is a common practice for women, and some men with hairy backs have hair removed from this area of the body. There are several methods of removing unwanted hair.

Laser

When a laser is used to remove hair, heat from the laser device kills the hair follicles. Anyone who practices hair removal with a laser must be licensed in this field. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, anyone who requests a numbing agent during laser hair removal should ask for the lowest dose possible, as side effects associated with high doses of numbing agents can be extremely harmful. Some of the side effects of this method of hair removal are blisters, changes in skin color, edema and visible skin damage.

Epilation Devices

Epilation is a procedure in which the hair is taken out from the root. If a needle epilator is used to remove the hair, a thin wire is slipped inside the follicle holding the hair and a surge of electricity is sent through the wire and to the root to destroy it. A pair of tweezers is then used to extract the hair. If electrolysis is used to permanently remove the hair, a fine probe is inserted into the follicle holding the hair and the hair is destroyed using a short-wave radio frequency. Electrolysis necessitates more than one treatment to kill the hair follicle, and the procedure can cause an infection or leave marks on the skin. When electricity is sent to the hair root through a pair of tweezers, the device used is called a tweezer epilator.

Wax or Sugar

Elimination of hair with the use of wax removes hair from the hair follicles when wax is applied and quickly pulled off of the skin with the help of fabric strips that adhere to the wax. First the wax is heated to the melting point, and then it is spread over the hair, and the fabric strip is gently pressed onto the wax. With one swift pull of the fabric, the wax and the hair are removed, leaving the skin smooth and hairless. After a number of waxing treatments it is possible the hair will not grow back. Sugar removes hair the same way wax does when it is prepared and used in the same manner as wax.

Tweezers

When hair is removed with the aid of a pair of tweezers, the method is called tweezing. Hair often removed by tweezing is eyebrow hair, hair above and below the upper lip and hair on the chin.

Razor

Shaving with a razor blade cuts the hair at the surface of the skin. This method of hair removal is temporary.

Chemical Substances

Chemical substances used to remove hair work by breaking down the hair. After the chemical substance is applied to the hair and left on for a certain amount of time, the hair liquefies. These types of hair removal agents are commonly called depilatories and come in the form of gels, creams, lotions, sprays and roll-on formulas.

Thread

The method of rolling thread over the skin to remove hair is called threading. Threading catches the hair as the thread is moved over the skin and pulls the hair from the follicle it sits in.