Methods - Removal Style

Survey Of The Methods Of Hair Removal

The goal is to have permanent or at least semi-permanent removal of hair. That means no more shaving, at least on a regular basis. Primitive methods include pulling hair out from the roots, or plucking them each individually by a tweezers. This is not a very good method since it is time consuming, and the hairs have to be long enough to be plucked out. The idea is that if the follicle of the hair is damaged, then it will not grow back. Another physical hair removal method is waxing, which involves putting warm wax on the skin, waiting for it to harden, and then pulling it off in the opposite direction of the hair growth. This method is also a bit painful, and there is danger of having the wax too hot and burning the skin. A similar operation can be done with "sugar waxing" where a sugary caramel substance is poured on the skin, allowed to harden and then pulled off in the opposite direction, with the hope that the hair is pulled out down to the follicle and will not grow back. Another common method of hair removal is the chemical removal of hair using depilatories. Depilatories consist of thiogycolate mixed with a strong base like sodium hydroxide (lye) or calcium hydroxide. The chemicals dissolve the hair after 5 or 10 minutes and then the resulting mush is wiped away. This method is successful, but can of course lead to quite a bit of skin irritation. Various crèmes can be applied to the skin afterwards to soothe the resultant irritation. A tried and true method of hair removal is electrolysis. This is usually done best by a professional, even though it can be done on one self through at-home electrolysis kits. A pen like stylus is used to create an electric charge just enough to give the patient a tingle, and it is used to literally burn out each follicle, one by one. This procedure works best if the patient has shaved him or herself a couple of days before the procedure. The main drawback is that often the hair is not really totally burned out and needs repeated treatment to actually get rid of it permanently. Laser hair removal is a great way to get rid of hair. Sadly, it is usually not permanent. In this procedure, goo is put on the skin to protect it. The laser targets hair with coloring, that is, melanin. It doesn't usually totally obliterate the hair, but it does retard regrowth.