Your body is covered in vellus hair, a soft fine hair that helps to regulate your body temperature. Kids Health states that your body also has terminal hair, which is darker, longer and coarser than vellus hair. Terminal hair often grows on your armpits, legs and pubic area. You may find yourself wishing you could remove hair on your body in the most effective way possible. There are several methods of hair removal that may be best for your personal situation. If you have excess hair growth, see your doctor, as it can be the result of a hormonal disorder.
Plucking
Plucking involves pulling your skin taut and using tweezers to remove hair by its root. This inexpensive method of hair removal can last anywhere from three to eight weeks, but can be painful and irritate your skin. It is also a time consuming method since you are only able to remove one hair at a time. Kids Health suggests that you sterilize your tweezers with rubbing alcohol before and after every use to prevent an infection from plucking.
Shaving
Shaving uses an electric, disposable or reusable razor to remove hair from the tip of the hair shaft. This inexpensive method lasts one to three days. It can irritate your skin, can cause cuts, razor burn and ingrown hairs, which are common with frequent shaving. To lessen the irritation of shaving, use shaving cream or gel, soften your skin with warm water first and shave in the direction of hair growth.
Depilatories
Depilatories are specially formulated creams or liquids designed to dissolve hair. This method can last up to two weeks but can be messy and have a strong odor. This method is not as effective for coarse hair as it is for fine hair and is not to be used on broken skin. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that you follow package directions and test the product for skin irritation or an allergic reaction before using.
Waxing
You can get your hair waxed off at home or in a salon. This method, which lasts three to six weeks uses warm or cold wax applied to your skin. A cloth strip is pressed onto the wax, and once the wax hardens the strip is removed, taking the hair root with it. Kids Health states that this method can be painful and cause temporary redness and inflammation. For most effective results, your hair should be at least 1/4 inch long. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that this method is not to be used over moles, warts, or on your eyelashes, nipples, genital area, ears or nose.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis consists of a small needle inserted into the hair follicle, where an electric current kills the hair root. This method can be time consuming since every hair root must be penetrated separately. Although electrolysis is designed to be permanent, this is not always the case.
Laser Hair Removal
During a laser hair removal treatment, a heated laser is used to stop hair growth. The Mayo Clinic states that this method may work best if you are light skinned and have dark hair, because the dark pigment is what absorbs the laser. This method can be expensive, and although it is permanent you may need maintenance treatments.
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