Hair plays an important role in the health and welfare of your body and skin. Hair helps keep you warm, works as sensors to increase the way you feel the environment around you, and it also protects you from the surrounding environment. Unfortunately, hair growth in unwanted places can be annoying, even embarrassing. This is especially true for women with darker facial hair. If facial hair is your problem, there are several ways to remove it, ranging from temporary to permanent.
Manual
Manual hair removal methods are the cheapest option for women's facial hair removal, but their results also last the least amount of time. Manual hair removal includes shaving, which uses a sharp blade to cut the hair strand at the surface of the skin, and waxing, which pulls the hair strand out from the root. Because waxing removes the hair from deeper into the skin, the results also last longer than shaving.
Chemical
Chemical hair removal involves the use of harsh substances called depilatories. These products include active ingredients such as calcium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide, which when applied to the face break the bonding agents in your hair. Without these bonds, the hair can simply be wiped from the face with a washcloth. Although less expensive than a more permanent hair removal method, the risks are greater for side effects such as rash or chemical burn, especially to those with sensitive skin.
Laser Hair Removal
For permanent hair "reduction"--not permanent hair removal--the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has approved laser hair removal. Laser hair removal uses specific wavelengths of laser light to target the melanin in your hair. Melanin is the substance that gives your hair its color. By targeting melanin, a hair removal laser can accurately direct its energy into the follicle, damaging the structure of the follicle. This limits, or prevents, the follicle from growing future hair strands on the face.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis is currently the only permanent hair "removal" option approved by the FDA. Electrolysis uses small, needle-like probes to conduct electricity into the hair follicle. This damages the hair follicle permanently, which prevents future hair from being able to grow back.
Member Comments