Hair Removal
Hair removal affects every woman except in a few cultures where it is considered attractive not to remove hair.
Dark haired women usually have more of a problem than fair haired women, mainly because the dark hairs show up more and are courser.
Uneven hair growth is normal in all women past puberty. Changes in hormone levels are a major influence and growth becomes more profuse after the menopause and sometimes during pregnancy.
There are many methods of hair removal to try; your choice depends on your personal preference and the place of removal.
Methods of Hair Removal Available
Hair Removal by Abrasion:
Use a pumice stone or sandpapery glove. First cut the hairs level with your skin, lather with soap and water, then rub away the hairs using circular movements.
This method of hair removal is best used on arms and legs.
Hair Removal by Bleaching:
For dark hair that is only a soft down. If you use a commercially prepared bleaching preparation, follow the instructions carefully. You can make one yourself by mixing 30 per cent peroxide with a little ammonia and water. It is wise to make a skin-patch test 24 hours before the first bleaching. Swab on where needed; the hair must be completely stripped of color, not just to its reddish tones, and this may require two bleachings – done 24 hours apart.
This method of hair removal is suitable for facial hair, forearms and body.
Hair Removal by Depilation:
Chemical depilatories come in cream, spray, gel or powder form. They soften and dissolve the hair shaft but do not disturb the root, therefore do not prevent the hair from re-growing. They usually take from 10 to 15 minutes to work on some areas and longer if you have previously shaved.
Continued use of depilatories over a period of time tend to weaken the hair growth so new hair is slower to appear and often less noticeable. If you are using one for the first time, make a trial test on a small patch of hair.
This method of hair removal is suitable for legs, arms, underarms – avoid using on your face unless the directions for use definitely specify such an application.
Hair Removal by Electrolysis:
A fine wire needle – of platinum or stainless steel is introduced into the opening of the hair follicle. An electric current of low voltage, lasting up to 40 seconds, is transmitted down the needle to destroy the papilla. The hair shaft is automatically loosened for instant removal.
When it is done properly there is a slight burning sensation, though the intensity of feeling varies from person to person. Some women can sleep through a treatment, others find it really painful. There are no ensuing scars and the hair from that particular papilla should never grow again. The operator needs skill, patience and good eyesight – plus good co-ordination. It takes time because only a certain number of hairs can be removed during one session.
Multiple treatments are usually necessary. The alternative to destroying the papilla is to use the same electronic treatment to cauterize the blood vessel and hence stop growth; this is called diathermy.
This method of hair removal is suitable for facial hair and other small areas.
Hair Removal by Laser:
Laser Hair Removal is done by using laser and light based methods with Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) epilators.
Laser treatment works by selectively heating the dark areas of skin where hair grows (the follicle) and not heating the rest of the skin. Hair removal lasers selectively target Melanin which occurs naturally in your skin and gives hair and skin its color. Laser Hair Removal works best with dark coarse hair. Light skin and dark hair are an ideal combination, but new lasers are now able to target dark black hair even in patients with dark skin.
It generally takes between 3 - 8 treatment sessions and treatments are usually spaced 3-12 weeks apart.
Laser treatment can cause localized damage. Risks include the chance of burning the skin or discoloring dark skin with the laser, hypo pigmentation (white spots), and a flare up of acne.
Laser Hair Removal is suitable for the lip, chin, ear lobe, shoulders, back, underarm, abdomen, buttocks, pubic area, bikini lines, thighs, face, neck, chest, arms, legs, hands, and toes.
Hair Removal by Shaving:
Shaving is the quickest, easiest and cheapest method – and it does not cause hair to grow faster, coarser of darker. What happens is the new hair from the shaved pore emerges blunt cut rather than tapered, so it seems, and feels, more bristly. Use a safety or electric razor.
Watch out for and try to prevent dryness and nicking or scraping your skin. Shave your legs upward in long even strokes. Re-growth is rapid because the root is neither removed nor damaged but this is a normal rate of hair growth.
This method of hair removal is suitable for your legs and underarms. Don’t shave your face, forearms or sensitive body parts. Pubic hair that extends to the upper thighs can be removed in this way.
Hair Removal by Tweezing:
Plucking with tweezers is the only practical way to get rid of isolated hairs on the face and chest; it is the one method for trimming eyebrows too. Before tweezing, swab the area with an astringent-soaked cotton pad to remove any oily covering and help you to grip the smallest hairs. Re-plucking is required after two to twelve weeks.
This method of hair removal is suitable for facial hair, but don’t pluck hair that grows from a mole or wart, always check with a dermatologist first. Hairs around your nipples can be plucked, pluck in the direction of hair growth while holding your skin taut with the other hand.
Hair Removal by Waxing:
This is one of the oldest methods of temporary hair removal. A thin layer of melted wax is applied to the skin, allowed to cool, and then quickly stripped off tearing the hair out with it but not destroying the roots. The hairs are pulled out from just below the surface of the skin (though the papilla is left intact) which means new hairs are only visible after quite some time, even months. There is no re-growth stubble and in time waxing retards and weakens re-growth. It can hurt enormously depending on the part of the body and your pain endurance level. It can be done in a salon or at home using waxing strips.
A home-made recipe is to mix 5 tablespoons of sugar into 5 tablespoons of water, add the juice of half a lemon; cook slowly or in a double boiler, stirring and waiting until it turns a caramel color. Pour onto a plate and work into little balls. Press the ball firmly onto the skin, hold; pull it up sharply extracting excess hair with it.
This is also known as Sugaring and it takes a long, long time.
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The Secret of Good Hair Care
Hair Removal
Hair Loss In Women
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