Approximately 5 million hairs grow on the average human body, according to MedlinePlus. The tiny strands consist of the protein keratin, which also appears in the nails on your fingers and toes. Hair performs several essential functions, including helping to maintain warmth and protecting the ears, eyes and nose from foreign particles. Nonetheless, removing hair from certain parts of the body, such as the face, legs and underarms, is a common and generally safe practice.
Significance
Hairs are capable of growing everywhere but the soles of the feet, the lips and the palms, according to MedlinePlus. Although hairs generally fall out after growing for as long as six years, new hairs eventually replace them. Therefore, people who do not want hair to remain on a particular part of their body must choose an appropriate removal method to get rid of it. Options include techniques that may require non-prescription products available at stores and professionals who specialize in hair removal. Local and state agencies often regulate workers who remove hair for payment, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Types
Hair removal methods may produce either temporary or permanent results. Laser treatment is the only technique that can reduce hair permanently as of August 2010, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. However, the FDA and TeensHealth state some people also experience permanent effects with electrolysis. Popular temporary hair removal strategies include plucking with tweezers, shaving with razors, sugaring, threading, using depilatory products and waxing.
Permanent Removal Features
Lasers emit a beam of energy that heats hair follicles and destroys them, according to the FDA. Laser hair removal is typically most effective on dark hair and body parts with thinner skin, such as the armpits, according to the AAD. Permanent reduction of hair growth often requires at least three sessions, states the AAD, with each session usually reducing hair growth 10 to 25 percent.
Electrolysis involves inserting a tiny needle or wire into individual hair follicles. The needle or wire emits an electric current or shortwave radio frequency that burns hair roots and destroys them. The procedure frequently requires 4 to 16 hours, according to TeensHealth, depending on the size of the area needing hair removal. However, the treatments are usually spread out over several appointments, according to the FDA.
Temporary Removal Features
Although shaving can lead to cuts and irritated skin, wetting hair first and using a clean, sharp razor can reduce the risk, states the FDA. Depilatories are available as aerosol, cream, gel, lotion and roll-on products, all of which contain chemicals that weaken the structure of hair to make wiping hair off the skin easier.
Plucking, sugaring, threading and waxing are methods of removing hair from the follicle beneath the surface of the skin, as opposed to shaving and depilatories, which remove hair at the surface of the skin. Sugaring and waxing involve spreading heated sugar and melted wax, respectively, on the surface of the skin. Pulling the sugar or wax off the skin lifts hair out of the follicles by the root. Plucking and threading use tweezers and thread, respectively, to grasp individual hairs and snatch them out by the root.
Considerations
Ingrown hairs are a possible complication of hair removal, according to the Mayo Clinic, especially for individuals who have tightly curled hair. The condition produces inflamed skin after hairs enter the skin at the surface or inside the follicle when they grow back instead of growing out of the follicle normally. Other possible risks of hair removal include allergic reactions to hair removal substances, infection, irritated skin and temporary pain.
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