Hair Removal Treatments

The desire to remove excess or dark hair usually begins in adolescence and seems to continue until the day we die. Whether it is hair on the face, armpits, legs, bikini line, or other body parts, many women and men are intent upon having the hair on their scalp be the only visible hair on their bodies. With the emphasis on smooth, hairless skin, it is interesting to note that excess hair, especially in women, is still a taboo subject.

There are many options available to remove unwanted hair, but few options to get rid of hair permanently. The different methods of hair removal from the old stand-by, shaving, to the new treatments, lasers and Vaniqa, are discussed here. Each person should chose a method or combination of methods that works best for them depending on cost, time available, skin type, and the desired hair-free area.

Hair Growth

Understanding how hair grows helps us understand how to keep hair from growing. Each hair is contained in a pilosebaceous unit, which consists of a hair shaft, hair follicle, sebaceous gland, and erector pili muscle. Hair growth and shedding is a continuous cycle through phases. The anagen phase is the growth phase, the catagen phase is a transitional state, and the telogen phase is the resting phase. Hairs spend a variable amount of time in each phase determined by genetics, hormones, and area of the body. Hair in the anagen phase is more susceptible to injury than hair in the telogen phase. All of these factors must be considered when choosing a method of hair removal.

Bleaching

Bleaching is actually not a hair removal method, but rather a way to make the hair less noticeable. This is especially useful for areas that already have thin but dark and therefore noticeable hair like the arms, face, or neck. Bleaching is performed by applying a chemical to the desired area, which removes the pigment from the hair.

Hair Removal With Shaving

Shaving is the most temporary method of hair removal because it merely cuts the hair off at the skin surface. Shaving does not make the hair shaft thicker, darker, or grow faster or slower. However, the short hair shaft may be more noticeable as it grows out because it has a blunt tip instead of the normal tapered tip. Shaving should be done after applying some type of moisturizer to the skin to help the razor glide over the skin, not cut or scrape it. Common moisturizers include water, shaving cream, hair conditioner, or body wash.

Physical Hair Removal

Physically pulling the hair out of the follicle is a common and fairly inexpensive method of hair removal. None of these methods changes the color, texture, or density of the hair. The hair takes longer to grow back because it must grow to the surface of the skin before it is noticed. Because hair grows at different rates, some of the hair that has been physically removed may take more time to grow back in. Repeatedly pulling hair out of the follicle may damage the follicle enough over time to keep it from producing more hair.

Physical Hair Removal – Plucking

Plucking hair with tweezers is an effective way to remove hair but can be very time consuming. The hair shaft must be long enough to grasp with tweezers.

Physical Hair Removal – Waxing

Waxing is an effective method of removing large amounts of hair at one time. In this method wax is warmed to allow it to be spread easily over the skin in the direction of hair growth. The hair becomes embedded in the wax, which cools and firms up grasping the hair. The wax is then quickly pulled off in the opposite direction of the hair growth, pulling the hairs out of the follicles. Cold waxes are available usually attached to strips, which are patted onto the skin. Wax that is still left on the skin must be peeled or scratched off. Caution must be used when heating wax so as not to burn the skin.

Physical Hair Removal – Sugar Waxing

Sugar waxing is a popular form of hair removal that works in the same way traditional waxing does. A thick sugary substance similar to caramel is spread on the skin in the direction of hair growth. The hair becomes embedded in the caramel. A cloth or paper strip is patted onto the caramel and then pulled off quickly in the opposite direction of the hair growth, pulling the hairs out of the follicles. The advantage of this method over traditional waxing is the clean up. The sugar substance is water-soluble and can be removed easier than wax by rinsing with water.

Hair Removal Techniques

Many men and women choose to remove unwanted body hair for cosmetic, social, cultural, or medical reasons. Medical indications for hair removal include hirsutism, which is excess terminal hair in the distribution of hair growth influenced by androgens like face, chest, back; abdomen or which is congenital or drug-induced increase in hair growth in areas that are not androgen dependent. Other medical indications include pseudofolliculitis, hair growth from a grafted donor site, preoperative hair removal, and sex-change operations performed in men.

Many methods are available for temporary or permanent hair removal, each with its own relative efficacy and adverse effects. Different methods for the removal of body hair include the following:

Temporary hair removal – Shaving, epilation, depilation, bleaching

Temporary hair reduction – Eflornithine hydrochloride

Permanent hair reduction- Intense pulsed light or laser-assisted hair removal

Permanent hair removal – Electrolysis

Laser Chin Hair Removal

Having hair growth on your chin can be uncomfortable and embarrassing, especially if you are a women and it’s not supposed to be there. There are different types of hair growth that women can get on their chins; from only a few fine, light hairs which are very discreet to thick, dark hair which can be very noticeable. There are many different hair removal options open to you for getting rid of this unwanted chin hair, but laser hair removal has emerged as an effective long term solution, and many women are now turning to laser hair removal over other treatments such as waxing.

Of course it’s not just women who can be frustrated with chin hair. Many men are unhappy with chin hair too, which can be too thick and heavy for their liking. Constant shaving can also be tedious and the cost of buying razors and shaving foam can really mount up. Like women, many men are turning to laser hair removal treatments as an alterative to traditional methods in the hopes of achieving that perfectly groomed, masculine look.

Laser Hair Reduction

Laser hair reduction is a method of removing unwanted hair on parts of the body such as the legs, bikini line, upper lip, back and chest. Laser hair removal requires an investment of both time and money. Before you make the commitment to this type of hair-removal procedure, make sure that you are a suitable candidate to increase your potential to achieve optimal results

Hair Removal Options

Permanent facial hair removal is the preferred option for women looking to remove unsightly facial hair. A common problem with women who have hormone imbalances or the tendency to develop hirsuteness, facial hair removal is not a luxury, but a necessity.

Whether you use hair removal facial creams prescribed by a physician to home electrolysis kits and facial waxing, here are a few permanent facial hair removal options for women that will reduce hair growth and eventually keep skin smooth and hair free.

Use facial hair wax. As a byproduct of frequent waxing, the hair on your face will be reduced considerably. If you are looking for a beauty bargain instead of visiting a salon, find an at-home cold and hot wax kit to remove unsightly and unwanted facial hair using sugaring.

Consider electrolysis to remove your facial hair permanently. During electrolysis, a needle is inserted into the hair follicle. The hair is zapped when a electric current travels down the needle to complete the electrolysis treatment. Following a quick swipe of your tweezers, hair is removed from the follicle instantly.

Consider using “laser hair removal” as a permanent facial hair removal option. Laser treatment begins with a thick layer of black-colored solution applied to the skin. This layer of solution, insulates the epidermis from the effects of the laser and activates the heat from the instrument. The dark solution is then absorbed into the hair follicles. Once the solution makes contact with the laser,the hair follicle is destroyed instantly, thus retarding hair growtn.

Laser Hair Removal Procedure

Firstly, a laser device is pressed on the patient’s skin, along with a cooling device that keep’s the health of the rest of the skin well. At this time, the patient wears special goggles to protect the eye from potential laser light that could leak out. When the laser passes through the skin’s surface and to the tiny sacs (hair follicles), the patient will usually feel a sting. Anesthetic products may be applied before the hair removal to alleviate the pain. When the hair follicle is being damaged, an odor of it being destroyed can also be smelled. This same process goes on over the whole treatment area, which can take from a few minutes with small areas to a few hours with bigger ones.

After the treatment, to successfully heal, the patient should avoid direct sunlight. Also, direct contact with the removed area should be avoided. Nonetheless, the patient can quickly go back to his or her daily routines after the removing process.

Laser Hair Surgery

Depending on the area being treated, the process may take anywhere from several minutes to several hours to complete. The most commonly used lasers utilize a low energy laser beam. This beam passes through the patient’s skin and is attracted to the pigment of the hair. The energy passes down the hair shaft and is absorbed by hair follicles that are in the active growth phase, thereby disabling the hair follicle in the deeper layer of the skin. The hair follicles that are in dormant phase are not affected by the treatment. In most cases, minimal pain should be experienced and no anesthesia is required.

Laser Hair Remover

Laser hair removal is a medical procedure that uses laser light — an intense, pulsating beam of light — to remove unwanted hair. Laser hair removal works by passing a light beam through the skin. The laser targets dark pigment, called melanin, in hair. When the light beam hits the hair follicle (where hair growth originates), the intense heat destroys the hair follicle instantly.

In most cases, laser hair removal slows hair regrowth, but it takes several treatments to provide an extended “hair-free” period.

Hair Removal Equipment

With advancements in the field of laser hair removal, more and more equipments and machines are being added to the inventory with each passing day. Home based laser hair removal products and do-it-yourself machines are the latest in the laser hair removal industry. In this write up we would be exploring some of the most common laser hair removal equipments, their pros and cons and the side effects, if any.

The Alexandrite laser has the ability to penetrate deep into the skin cells and result in permanent hair removal from the core. Operating at a wavelength of 755 and having spot size of 5-10, the alexandrite laser can work with a repetition rate of 1-5. The machine has three variants – Epitouch Alex, Apogee 40 and gentleLASE. The AL (Alexandrite laser) does have a few disadvantages- it can cause black spots in the target area and the hair removal can be short term in some cases.

The diode laser is a new kid around the block when it comes to laser hair removal machines. Basically, the diode laser is so named because it uses diodes/semiconductor materials to form the laser beam, resulting in a wavelength of 800-810 and a repetition rate of 1. Such lasers have a spot size of 9 and there are about six variants of the diode laser that are currently available in the market, with Laserlight and Epistar being two of the most famous variants. A higher wavelength makes the diode laser better equipped to tackle darker skin tones (which was not possible in the case of the AL). There have been some cases though, wherein the patients had developed skin allergies after being treated upon with a diode laser of such high wavelength.

The YAG laser works at a wavelength of 1060 and the repetition rate is up to 10Hz and does achieve near-permanent hair loss. The high wavelength has proven to be irritating to some skin tones, though.

hair removal machine

The demands of modern fashion and the sensibilities of the contemporary style scene have created a large and ever-growing market for hair removal techniques, and this in turn has prompted laboratories and companies to devise an ever-wider range of hair removal devices that both the professional esthetician and the home user can employ. These machines remove unwanted hair in a variety of different ways, each offering advantages and disadvantages and having a unique set of strengths and drawbacks.

One of the oldest hair-removing machines on the market is the electrolysis machine. This device functions by sliding a thin wire into each individual hair follicle and killing the hair’s root with a tiny discharge of electricity. Electrolysis tends to be extremely time-consuming – for example, removing a beard and moustache can require two to four years of painstaking labor – but it is also the only method which is invariably effective at permanently removing hair. Any other method leaves at least some chance of partial regret, but electrolysis is certain to permanently kill hair.

Home electrolysis machines are now available, and can cost as low as $200 or even slightly less when discounted. Their use is supposedly fairly painless, and the results, as noted above, are essentially guaranteed, but the potential user should also be aware that great patience is an asset using these devices.

Laser machines are another technological hair removal device, although they are a much more recent entrant into the lists of mechanical hair removal. Originally, only bulky professional-grade machines costing tens of thousands of dollars were available, and these still remain the most powerful and flexible laser epilation devices. However, many companies now offer small, cheap, handheld laser hair removers, designed specifically for the home user. These lasers work by heating the stubble that remains in the follicles after shaving, and thus tend to work best with light skin and dark hair. Cooling gel may be necessary to prevent minor burns on those with sensitive skin.

The primary advantage of laser over electrolysis is that they treat multiple follicles at once, making laser epilation a far faster process than the hair-by-hair removal of the older machine. Laser-removed hair is often permanently gone, but sometimes it grows back more sparsely after several months or years, which is one of the major downsides to laser-based machines.

Hair Removal Methods

Hair Growth
Understanding how hair grows helps us understand how to keep hair from growing. Each hair is contained in a pilosebaceous unit, which consists of a hair shaft, hair follicle, sebaceous gland, and erector pili muscle. Hair growth and shedding is a continuous cycle through phases. The anagen phase is the growth phase, the catagen phase is a transitional state, and the telogen phase is the resting phase. Hairs spend a variable amount of time in each phase determined by genetics, hormones, and area of the body. Hair in the anagen phase is more susceptible to injury than hair in the telogen phase. All of these factors must be considered when choosing a method of hair removal.

Bleaching
Bleaching is actually not a hair removal method, but rather a way to make the hair less noticeable. This is especially useful for areas that already have thin but dark and therefore noticeable hair like the arms, face, or neck. Bleaching is performed by applying a chemical to the desired area, which removes the pigment from the hair.

Hair Removal with Shaving
Shaving is the most temporary method of hair removal because it merely cuts the hair off at the skin surface. Shaving does not make the hair shaft thicker, darker, or grow faster or slower. However, the short hair shaft may be more noticeable as it grows out because it has a blunt tip instead of the normal tapered tip. Shaving should be done after applying some type of moisturizer to the skin to help the razor glide over the skin, not cut or scrape it. Common moisturizers include water, shaving cream, hair conditioner, or body wash.

Physical Hair Removal

Physical Hair Removal – Plucking
Plucking hair with tweezers is an effective way to remove hair but can be very time consuming. The hair shaft must be long enough to grasp with tweezers.

Physical Hair Removal – Waxing
Waxing is an effective method of removing large amounts of hair at one time. In this method wax is warmed to allow it to be spread easily over the skin in the direction of hair growth. The hair becomes embedded in the wax, which cools and firms up grasping the hair. The wax is then quickly pulled off in the opposite direction of the hair growth, pulling the hairs out of the follicles. Cold waxes are available usually attached to strips, which are patted onto the skin. Wax that is still left on the skin must be peeled or scratched off. Caution must be used when heating wax so as not to burn the skin.

Physical Hair Removal – Sugar Waxing
Sugar waxing is a popular form of hair removal that works in the same way traditional waxing does. A thick sugary substance similar to caramel is spread on the skin in the direction of hair growth. The hair becomes embedded in the caramel. A cloth or paper strip is patted onto the caramel and then pulled off quickly in the opposite direction of the hair growth, pulling the hairs out of the follicles. The advantage of this method over traditional waxing is the clean up. The sugar substance is water-soluble and can be removed easier than wax by rinsing with water.

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