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Hair today, gone tomorrow
Along with all the other adolescent rites of passage, teenage girls start to think about body-hair removal as part of the image they?ll carry with them as grownups. Partly because of the culture we live in, which values that smooth-skinned look, it?s an issue we?ll address all our lives. For many, shaving, waxing, tweezing, or bleaching become life-long additions to the rituals of grooming, beauty, and hygiene. For some, consciously deciding not to comply with convention becomes an act of defiance.
And for others, genetics conspire to make that smooth, peach-fuzz look an elusive goal, prompting a constant search for a better, safer, more effective way to eliminate unusually thick, dark, and stubbornly persistent hair on legs, arms, and faces.
Hair-removal techniques fall into several categories. Depilation techniques -- like shaving and chemical products -- remove hair at the skin line. Epilation techniques, such as waxing, tweezing, and sugaring, go deeper to the hair?s root. After epilation, hair takes longer to grow back and the quantity of hair is permanently reduced because some hair follicles stop producing. New to the hair-removal scene is facial hair-growth prevention, in which a prescription cream blocks a skin enzyme essential for hair to grow in the first place.
Whatever technique you use, don?t worry about the myth that suggests that removing hair stimulates even more return growth. It just isn?t so. So choose among your options the technique that?s most comfortable and safe for you.
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Smoothing Out the Surface
- Shaving: it's easy and inexpensive, but takes off less hair than other removal methods. If you're using a blade razor, it's a good idea to condition the skin with a shaving cream or lotion -- soap tends to be drying and regular body lotions can gum up the razor. Electric razors are another alternative; some can be used on wet skin. Chances are your shave won't be as close as with a blade razor, but you will eliminate the nick factor.
- Depilatories: these lotions remove a little more of the hair shaft than shaving does. They dissolve proteins and essentially liquefy hair so it can be wiped away. Since skin contains proteins, too, depilatory chemicals can be irritating, especially to sensitive skin on the inner thighs. Some people are even allergic, so a patch test first is a good idea. There are two basic types of depilatories. Those containing sulfides are the most effective, but also the most prone to harming your skin. They have that unpleasant, rotten-egg smell, too. Those with thioglycolate take longer to work, but are gentler on the skin. Many contain skin-conditioning ingredients that may help soothe any irritation. You can also try gels, sponge, or roll-on products that lessen the mess.
Getting to the Root of Things
- Wax hair removers: involves applying a layer of wax, letting it harden, then pulling it off. It can be painful, but it's effective if the hair's long enough for the wax to get a firm grip -- about one-quarter inch. Kits for both hot and cold waxing are available, the former requiring preheating of the wax. These kits include a medium, usually gauze or muslin, for lifting off the wax. Yet another possibility are prewaxed strips that you warm in your hands, press on, and pull off. Either way, exfoliating before waxing will help with adhesion.
- Sugar-based hair removers: newly popular, this technique actually dates to ancient Egypt. The process is much like waxing: a mixture of sugar, lemon, and water is warmed and spread on the skin, allowed to harden, then pulled off. A difference is that the mixture sticks only to hair, not to the skin, so this method may be less painful than waxing, although possibly not as effective. Making sure the skin is oil-free beforehand will help, as will applying the sugar mixture in a very thin layer.
- Tweezing: depending upon how much hair you want to shed, this one-at-a-time method may be out of the realm of possibility. It can be painful, too, especially on sensitive areas like the bikini line. Try numbing the skin with an ice cube first.
Stop It Before It Grows
A recent arrival to the list of hair-removal options for the face is hair-growth reduction. A prescription medication, Vaniqa (the brand name for eflornithine), works by blocking a specific skin enzyme essential for hair to grow in the first place. It doesn?t remove existing facial hair, but it does reduce the amount of unwanted facial hair that grows, so it can ultimately reduce the amount of time you spend removing, treating, or concealing. The drug was introduced in September 2000 after approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It is approved for use by women and girls age 12 and older on the face and adjacent chin areas only. (Read more about eflornithine.)
A Few Words to the Wise
- Skin is likely to become more sensitive after hair removal. It's wise to wait one day before swimming in chlorinated or salt water and before using alpha-hydroxy lotions.
- Retin-A and similar products don't mix with some hair removal techniques. Definitely stop using them on the area to be treated about one month before waxing.
- Hair removal can encourage ingrown hairs. Regular exfoliation helps prevent this problem.
- Apply depilatories, wax, and sugar mixtures in the direction of hair growth.
- Shaving won't take off your tan -- the pigment cells that give you color are too deep for that.
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Chemical depilatories
Depilatories are basic chemicals that dissolve your hair. They usually contain thioglycolate or sulfide. Found in creams, lotions, sprays, and gels, these chemicals dissolve hair above the root when applied to the skin. Depilatories' advantage is that they are painless and relatively easy to use. They may cause a rash if you are allergic. Sulfides work faster than thioglycolates, but have the potential to be more irritating.
Waxes
Waxes are fatty, oily mixtures that are formulated for use in hot or cold form. Hot waxes are applied as liquids to the skin where they harden around the hairs, which are then pulled off in one rapid motion. This can be a painful process. Cold waxes work in much the same way, but the wax is on strips that are pressed against the skin to adhere to the hairs. The root is removed with the hair; so hair grows back at a slower rate.
Sugaring
Sugaring works in much the same way as waxing, by pulling your hair out from the root. This is a painful but effective technique. Sugaring solution is is applied to the skin in much the same way wax is and pulled off quickly, taking the hair and root with it.
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Appropriate Uses
Body sugaring
Temporarily removes hair below the surface of the skin.
Chemical depilatory
Dissolves hair above the surface of the skin so that it can be easily washed away.
Shaving
Cuts hair above the surface of the skin.
Tweezing
Temporarily removes hair below the surface of the skin by pulling it out at the root.
Waxing
Temporarily removes hair below the surface of the skin.
A Sweet Way to Remove Unwanted Hair
- Body sugaring: cleanse area to be sugared, apply warm product to the skin in a very thin layer, press a strip of muslin or other material over the sugar, and remove in a smooth, quick motion.
A Chemical Reaction
- Chemical depilatory: spread a thick layer on the skin in the direction of hair growth and wait five to 15 minutes. Rinse off product with water and a washcloth.
- Perform an allergy test 24 hours before hair removal by placing a small amount of product on the hand.
- Use in a well-ventilated area.
A Close Shave
- Shaving: wet the areas to be shaved and apply shaving cream or gel to protect skin. Shave in the direction of hair growth.
- To help prevent ingrown hairs, use a loofah or exfoliating scrub after shaving.
- Many electric shavers can be used wet or dry.
Plucking One By One
- Tweezing: numb the area with an ice cube before tweezing. Grasp the hair with the tweezers as close to the base as possible and pull quickly in the direction of hair growth.
Waxing Poetic Over Hair Removal
- Waxing: cleanse the area to be waxed, dust skin with powder to help wax adhere, apply wax in direction of hair growth, press a strip of muslin or other material over the wax, and remove in a smooth, quick motion.
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Irritating for Any Number of Reasons
- You can get chemical burns if you leave a depilatory on too long.
- Using Retin-A, Renova, Differin, Accutane, or alpha-hydroxy acid products on the face before waxing or body sugaring may cause small sections of skin to be removed with the wax.
- Excessive tweezing may cause bruising.
- People with sensitive skin may get folliculitis (red bumps and rashes) or experience skin irritation from shaving, waxing, or body sugaring.
- Hair removal can make your more skin more sensitive. After hair removal, avoid the following for 24 hours:
- Swimming in chlorinated or salt water
- Sun exposure
- Products that may irritate the skin, such as sunscreen and alpha-hydroxy acids
Guard Against Ingrown Hairs
- Exfoliate after shaving.
- Shave in the same direction as hair growth.
- Do not wax more than every eight to 10 weeks.
Keep in Mind
- Waxing and sugaring can be very painful.
- Use chemical depilatories in a well-ventilated area.
- Do not use chemical depilatories if you are allergic to any ingredient in the product.
- Be careful not to cut yourself while shaving.
- Do not tweeze in sensitive areas, such as the nipples.
- Reheating used wax does not destroy the AIDS virus, hepatitis B, or other potential diseases. Do not go to a salon where wax is reused.
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Websites, Organizations & Manufacturers
Sources & Further Reading
Articles
- 1. Segal, M.Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow. FDA Consumer. US FDA, September 1996.
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