Comparing 6 Techniques of Hair Removal –Which Techniques are Safe and Gentle to the Skin? | Articles

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Comparing 6 Techniques of Hair Removal –Which Techniques are Safe and Gentle to the Skin?

02 Nov 2016 18:03 | Read 34,435

“Excessive Hair” – the main cause of a lack of confidence

Apart from genetics that indicate the amount of “hair” covering the body, “hormone” is another important cause of hair in men and women. In early adolescence, there are some changes in the body, including an increase in the amount of “hair”, darker hair, and thicker hair. This is due to the body producing testosterone higher than normal before reaching puberty, which can occur in both men and women. Some even want to eliminate all hair out of the body.

Understand the Components of “Hair”

1. Hair Follicles
are part of the epidermis and dermis. They are found below the surface of the skin and form a tube surrounding “hair root”. Hair follicles are attached to the “sebaceous gland” that is responsible for maintaining the balance and hydrating the skin. If the hair follicles are disturbed, the “sebaceous gland” will release sebum to cover the skin and maintain the balance. Hair follicles have different characteristics, depending on the location of hair.

2. Hair Bulb
It can be observed that hair shafts that lean towards the same direction are the result of “hair bulb”, which is an important origin of hair. Hair bulb is embedded under the skin in a slightly “diagonal” direction. It has a bulb-shaped structure with part of the dermis stretching into the bulb.

3. Hair Shaft
is the portion of hair that extends through the skin. The hair shaft of each individual will have different growth and characteristics, depending on each individual’s body mechanism including hormone, nationality, and genetics.

Hair Growth Cycle

Normally, there are three phases of hair growth cycle, starting from the anagen phase to catagen phase, then ended in the telogen phase. The cycle will then be repeated, returning back to the anagen phase and so on. As you get older, each phase will be slower correspondingly. The three stages of hair growth cycle are as follow:

1. Anagen Phase
This phase is when the hair reaches its full growth, with the hair structure being fully developed. Each hair will have a lifespan of approximately 2-3 years, considering no external factors that cause the hair to fall out and disrupt the growth stage. As we get older, the length of anagen phase becomes shorter. Some may even experience hair thinning.

2. Catagen Phase
This phase occurs at the end of anagen phase. It is the stage that signals the end of hair growth with the hair being ready to fall out from the follicles. This phase lasts approximately 2-3 weeks.

3. Telogen Phase
This phase continues from the catagen phase, in which the hair is released and falls out. This phase lasts about 3-4 months before the whole process is repeated, returning back to the growth stage.

Types of “Hair”

1. Lanugo Hair : is a very thin and soft hair with no pigment or color. This type of hair is commonly found in fetus.ไปแล้ว

2. Vellus Hair : is a thin and short hair, slightly colored. It is commonly found on the face, neck, and body of women. Likewise, it is also partially found at the hairline. This type of hair will replace the lanugo hair and has a lifespan of approximately 3-4 months.

3. Androgenic Hair : Once entering the adolescence, androgenic hair will replace the vellus hair. This type of hair is thick and dark in color, and is found in some parts of the body such as eyelashes, eyebrows, and underarm hair. Its lifespan is about 5 months.

Comparing 6 “Hair Removal Techniques”

When we have “excessive hair”, many people might think of “removing” them from the body. Currently, there are many hair removal methods, including a method that we can do by ourselves and a method that involves medical procedures. Today, SLC will provide you with a comparison between each “hair removal” technique to help you decide the most suitable technique for you that is effective, gentle to the skin, and corresponds to your needs.

Comparing 6 “Hair Removal Techniques”
Method	Tools	Results and Characteristics of New Hair	Period of New Hair Growth	Frequency	Long-Term Results	Side Effects
Shaving	Use a razor and pass over the skin that contains hair. This method removes all of the hair without affecting the hair follicles	New hair will become hard and dark after shaving because this method merely removes the hair shaft and not hair follicles. The new hair that have grown come from the same follicles.	2-3 days	- Need to be done at least once per week - Need to be done consistently according to the hair growth cycle and because hair follicles are not destroyed.	Hair still continue to grow fast according to the hair growth cycle	- Some may experience skin itchiness and irritation - Risk of inflammation on skin or hair follicles from the razor
Plucking	Use tweezers to remove hair from the hair follicles. There is a chance that the hair shaft may be only removed and not the follicles.	New hair will have the same characteristics. Hair with only the shafts removed and not the follicles will cause the new hair to become hard, making the skin prone to Keratosis Pilaris and acne.	1 - 2 weeks	- 2 times/month - Need to be done consistently since hair follicles are not destroyed.	Hair still continue to grow according to the hair growth cycle	- Injury around the hair follicles - Risk of inflammatory hair follicles (chicken skin) - Risk of Keratosis Pilaris, since dirt or impurities may accumulate and clog the hair follicles. After plucking, the skin will produce new cells to cover the follicles, impeding new hair from penetrating through.
Hair Removal Cream	Apply the hair removal cream on skin and leave it on for a specified period of time. The cream contains corrosive substances that will weaken the hair. Wash or clean the applied area in the same direction as the hair line.	Hair become thick and hard, and may appear as dark spots around the applied area since only the hair shafts were removed and not the hair follicles.	2 - 3 days	- Must be done at least once per week - Must be done consistently since only the hair shaft was removed, not the follicles.	Hair still continue to grow fast. The hair will not be as hard as when using the shaving method.	- Might result in a skin burn due to the use of chemicals - Skin becomes dry and peels off, resulting in skin thinning - Some of the creams have strong odors - The skin around the applied area will become duller.
Epilator	The tip of hair remover will cause the hair shafts to stand up and pull them from the follicles, while removing the follicles at the same time. This method is faster than plucking.	New hair will have the same characteristics.	1 - 2 weeks	Must be done consistently. Recommended to be done twice per month.	Hair will continue to grow according to the hair growth cycle. Continuous use of epilator will cause the hair to fall out easily due to the widening of hair follicles.	- Sharp pain similar to when the hair got plucked - Risk of Keratosis Pilaris. Need to scrub the skin to clean and enable the follicles to exfoliate the remaining hairs. - If perform continuously, the hair follicles will become wider. - There will be some remaining hairs immediately after the application, which must be removed manually.
Waxing	Apply cold or hot wax onto the skin. Smooth a cloth strip on top of the wax and remove the strip within the specified time. This technique will remove both the hair and follicles. However, there is a chance that only the hair shafts are removed and not the follicles.	- New hair will become soft but with the same volume. - Smooth and hairless skin in a short period of time.	1 – 2 weeks	Must be done once a month to ensure a smooth skin	Hair still continue to grow because this technique doesn’t destroy hair follicles.	- ได้รับความรู้สึกเจ็บขณะดึง WAX ออก - ระยะแรกที่ขนกำลังจะขึ้นจะเกิดอาการคันผิว บางรายเกิดการอักเสบ มีผื่นแดง - จะต้องงดการอาบน้ำอุ่นอย่างน้อย 3 วัน เพื่อถนอมผิวบริเวณที่ทำ
Laser	Gentle Yag Laser uses a laser beam to attract melanocytes in the follicles. This type of cell will absorb light energy and transform it to heat, thereby destroying the follicles to prevent hair growth, with no effect on the skin.	- Hair will gradually fall out after the laser. - Hair will become thinner after each treatment. New hair will be soft. - The amount of hair will significantly reduce after the first treatment. - Hair will become lighter in color. - Skin around the applied area will become brighter with smaller pores. - Smooth skin with no Keratosis Pilaris.	4 weeks depending on the hair condition of each individual.	- Must be done consistently. Each treatment should be spaced out between 4-6 weeks. - Should be done 5-8 times, depending on the location of the hair, to ensure that the hair are permanently removed, revealing a smooth skin. - The number of treatment depends on the hair condition of each individual.	If done continuously, hair will become thinner and eventually disappear.	- During each treatment, the skin will feel warm. But this sensation will disappear within 15-20 minutes after the treatment. - Keratosis Pilaris may occur only in the 1-2 treated area, resulting in a hard and thick hair.

Comparing 6 “Hair Removal Techniques”

Method : Shaving
Tools	Results and Characteristics of New Hair	Period of New Hair Growth
Use tweezers to remove hair from the hair follicles. There is a chance that the hair shaft may be only removed and not the follicles.	New hair will have the same characteristics. Hair with only the shafts removed and not the follicles will cause the new hair to become hard, making the skin prone to Keratosis Pilaris and acne.	1 - 2 weeks
Frequency	Long-Term Results	Side Effects
- 2 times/month - Need to be done consistently since hair follicles are not destroyed.	Hair still continue to grow according to the hair growth cycle	- Injury around the hair follicles - Risk of inflammatory hair follicles (chicken skin) - Risk of Keratosis Pilaris, since dirt or impurities may accumulate and clog the hair follicles. After plucking, the skin will produce new cells to cover the follicles, impeding new hair from penetrating

Method : Hair Removal Cream
Tools	Results and Characteristics of New Hair	Period of New Hair Growth
Use a razor and pass over the skin that contains hair. This method removes all of the hair without affecting the hair follicles	New hair will become hard and dark after shaving because this method merely removes the hair shaft and not hair follicles. The new hair that have grown come from the same follicles.	2-3 days
Frequency	Long-Term Results	Side Effects
- Need to be done at least once per week - Need to be done consistently according to the hair growth cycle and because hair follicles are not destroyed.	Hair still continue to grow fast according to the hair growth cycle	- Some may experience skin itchiness and irritation - Risk of inflammation on skin or hair follicles from the razor

Method : Shaving
Tools	Results and Characteristics of New Hair	Period of New Hair Growth
Use a razor and pass over the skin that contains hair. This method removes all of the hair without affecting the hair follicles	New hair will become hard and dark after shaving because this method merely removes the hair shaft and not hair follicles. The new hair that have grown come from the same follicles.	2-3 days
Frequency	Long-Term Results	Side Effects
- Need to be done at least once per week - Need to be done consistently according to the hair growth cycle and because hair follicles are not destroyed.	Hair still continue to grow fast according to the hair growth cycle	- Some may experience skin itchiness and irritation - Risk of inflammation on skin or hair follicles from the razor

Method : Epilator
Tools	Results and Characteristics of New Hair	Period of New Hair Growth
The tip of hair remover will cause the hair shafts to stand up and pull them from the follicles, while removing the follicles at the same time. This method is faster than plucking.	New hair will have the same characteristics.	1 - 2 weeks
Frequency	Long-Term Results	Side Effects
Must be done consistently. Recommended to be done twice per month.	Hair will continue to grow according to the hair growth cycle. Continuous use of epilator will cause the hair to fall out easily due to the widening of hair follicles.	- Sharp pain similar to when the hair got plucked - Risk of Keratosis Pilaris. Need to scrub the skin to clean and enable the follicles to exfoliate the remaining hairs. - If perform continuously, the hair follicles will become wider. - There will be some remaining hairs immediately after the application, which must be removed manually.

Method : Waxing
Tools	Results and Characteristics of New Hair	Period of New Hair Growth
Apply cold or hot wax onto the skin. Smooth a cloth strip on top of the wax and remove the strip within the specified time. This technique will remove both the hair and follicles. However, there is a chance that only the hair shafts are removed and not the follicles.	- New hair will become soft but with the same volume. - Smooth and hairless skin in a short period of time.	1 - 2 weeks
Frequency	Long-Term Results	Side Effects
Must be done once a month to ensure a smooth skin	Hair still continue to grow because this technique doesn’t destroy hair follicles.	- Painful when removing the strip. - During the first stage when the new hair start to grow, some might experience itchiness, inflammation, and rashes. - Cannot shower in warm water for at least 3 days to protect and preserve the skin

Method : Laser
Tools	Results and Characteristics of New Hair	Period of New Hair Growth
Gentle Yag Laser uses a laser beam to attract melanocytes in the follicles. This type of cell will absorb light energy and transform it to heat, thereby destroying the follicles to prevent hair growth, with no effect on the skin.	- Hair will gradually fall out after the laser. - Hair will become thinner after each treatment. New hair will be soft. - The amount of hair will significantly reduce after the first treatment. - Hair will become lighter in color. - Skin around the applied area will become brighter with smaller pores. - Smooth skin with no Keratosis Pilaris.	4 weeks depending on the hair condition of each individual.
Frequency	Long-Term Results	Side Effects
- Must be done consistently. Each treatment should be spaced out between 4-6 weeks. - Should be done 5-8 times, depending on the location of the hair, to ensure that the hair are permanently removed, revealing a smooth skin. - The number of treatment depends on the hair condition of each individual.	If done continuously, hair will become thinner and eventually disappear.	- During each treatment, the skin will feel warm. But this sensation will disappear within 15-20 minutes after the treatment. - Keratosis Pilaris may occur only in the 1-2 treated area, resulting in a hard and thick hair.

As you can see, each hair removal technique produces similar results but with different side effects. However, there is one medical technique of hair removal that uses Gentle Yag laser, which has no effect on the skin. Likewise, this technique has the ability to remove hair at the follicle level. If treated continuously, hair will be permanently removed (Click! For more information on Gentle Yag Laser).

Thank you for the information from: haamor.com , medthai.com

Contact Us:
Call Center : +66 2 714 9555
Whatsapp : +66 96 116 0806
Facebook : SLCclinic
Skype : SLCclinic
LINE : @SLCclinic

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“Excessive Hair” – the main cause of a lack of confidence

Understand the Components of “Hair”

Hair Growth Cycle

Types of “Hair”

Comparing 6 “Hair Removal Techniques”

Comparing 6 “Hair Removal Techniques”

Method

Tools

Results and Characteristics of New Hair

Period of New Hair Growth

Frequency

Long-Term Results

Side Effects

Shaving

Use a razor and pass over the skin that contains hair. This method removes all of the hair without affecting the hair follicles

New hair will become hard and dark after shaving because this method merely removes the hair shaft and not hair follicles. The new hair that have grown come from the same follicles.

2-3 days

- Need to be done at least once per week - Need to be done consistently according to the hair growth cycle and because hair follicles are not destroyed.

Hair still continue to grow fast according to the hair growth cycle

- Some may experience skin itchiness and irritation - Risk of inflammation on skin or hair follicles from the razor

Plucking

Use tweezers to remove hair from the hair follicles. There is a chance that the hair shaft may be only removed and not the follicles.

New hair will have the same characteristics. Hair with only the shafts removed and not the follicles will cause the new hair to become hard, making the skin prone to Keratosis Pilaris and acne.

1 - 2 weeks

- 2 times/month - Need to be done consistently since hair follicles are not destroyed.

Hair still continue to grow according to the hair growth cycle

Hair Removal Cream

Apply the hair removal cream on skin and leave it on for a specified period of time. The cream contains corrosive substances that will weaken the hair. Wash or clean the applied area in the same direction as the hair line.

Hair become thick and hard, and may appear as dark spots around the applied area since only the hair shafts were removed and not the hair follicles.

2 - 3 days

- Must be done at least once per week - Must be done consistently since only the hair shaft was removed, not the follicles.

Hair still continue to grow fast. The hair will not be as hard as when using the shaving method.

- Might result in a skin burn due to the use of chemicals - Skin becomes dry and peels off, resulting in skin thinning - Some of the creams have strong odors - The skin around the applied area will become duller.

Epilator

The tip of hair remover will cause the hair shafts to stand up and pull them from the follicles, while removing the follicles at the same time. This method is faster than plucking.

New hair will have the same characteristics.

1 - 2 weeks

Must be done consistently. Recommended to be done twice per month.

Hair will continue to grow according to the hair growth cycle. Continuous use of epilator will cause the hair to fall out easily due to the widening of hair follicles.

Waxing

Apply cold or hot wax onto the skin. Smooth a cloth strip on top of the wax and remove the strip within the specified time. This technique will remove both the hair and follicles. However, there is a chance that only the hair shafts are removed and not the follicles.

- New hair will become soft but with the same volume. - Smooth and hairless skin in a short period of time.

1 – 2 weeks

Must be done once a month to ensure a smooth skin

Hair still continue to grow because this technique doesn’t destroy hair follicles.

- ได้รับความรู้สึกเจ็บขณะดึง WAX ออก

- ระยะแรกที่ขนกำลังจะขึ้นจะเกิดอาการคันผิว บางรายเกิดการอักเสบ มีผื่นแดง

- จะต้องงดการอาบน้ำอุ่นอย่างน้อย 3 วัน เพื่อถนอมผิวบริเวณที่ทำ

Laser

Gentle Yag Laser uses a laser beam to attract melanocytes in the follicles. This type of cell will absorb light energy and transform it to heat, thereby destroying the follicles to prevent hair growth, with no effect on the skin.

4 weeks depending on the hair condition of each individual.

If done continuously, hair will become thinner and eventually disappear.

- During each treatment, the skin will feel warm. But this sensation will disappear within 15-20 minutes after the treatment. - Keratosis Pilaris may occur only in the 1-2 treated area, resulting in a hard and thick hair.

Comparing 6 “Hair Removal Techniques”

Method : Shaving

Tools

Results and Characteristics of New Hair

Period of New Hair Growth

Use tweezers to remove hair from the hair follicles. There is a chance that the hair shaft may be only removed and not the follicles.

New hair will have the same characteristics. Hair with only the shafts removed and not the follicles will cause the new hair to become hard, making the skin prone to Keratosis Pilaris and acne.

1 - 2 weeks

Frequency

Long-Term Results

Side Effects

- 2 times/month - Need to be done consistently since hair follicles are not destroyed.

Hair still continue to grow according to the hair growth cycle

- Injury around the hair follicles - Risk of inflammatory hair follicles (chicken skin) - Risk of Keratosis Pilaris, since dirt or impurities may accumulate and clog the hair follicles. After plucking, the skin will produce new cells to cover the follicles, impeding new hair from penetrating

Method : Hair Removal Cream

Tools

Results and Characteristics of New Hair

Period of New Hair Growth

Use a razor and pass over the skin that contains hair. This method removes all of the hair without affecting the hair follicles

New hair will become hard and dark after shaving because this method merely removes the hair shaft and not hair follicles. The new hair that have grown come from the same follicles.

2-3 days

Frequency

Long-Term Results

Side Effects

- Need to be done at least once per week - Need to be done consistently according to the hair growth cycle and because hair follicles are not destroyed.

Hair still continue to grow fast according to the hair growth cycle

- Need to be done at least once per week
- Need to be done consistently according to the hair growth cycle and because hair follicles are not destroyed.

- Some may experience skin itchiness and irritation
- Risk of inflammation on skin or hair follicles from the razor

- 2 times/month
- Need to be done consistently since hair follicles are not destroyed.

- Must be done at least once per week

- Must be done consistently since only the hair shaft was removed, not the follicles.

- Might result in a skin burn due to the use of chemicals
- Skin becomes dry and peels off, resulting in skin thinning
- Some of the creams have strong odors
- The skin around the applied area will become duller.

Must be done consistently.
Recommended to be done twice per month.

- New hair will become soft but with the same volume.

- Smooth and hairless skin in a short period of time.

- During each treatment, the skin will feel warm. But this sensation will disappear within 15-20 minutes after the treatment.

- Keratosis Pilaris may occur only in the 1-2 treated area, resulting in a hard and thick hair.

- 2 times/month

- Need to be done consistently since hair follicles are not destroyed.

- Injury around the hair follicles

- Risk of inflammatory hair follicles (chicken skin)

- Risk of Keratosis Pilaris, since dirt or impurities may accumulate and clog the hair follicles. After plucking, the skin will produce new cells to cover the follicles, impeding new hair from penetrating

- Need to be done at least once per week

- Need to be done consistently according to the hair growth cycle and because hair follicles are not destroyed.

- Some may experience skin itchiness and irritation

- Risk of inflammation on skin or hair follicles from the razor

- Need to be done at least once per week

- Need to be done consistently according to the hair growth cycle and because hair follicles are not destroyed.

- Some may experience skin itchiness and irritation

- Risk of inflammation on skin or hair follicles from the razor

Must be done consistently.
Recommended to be done twice per month.

- New hair will become soft but with the same volume.

- Smooth and hairless skin in a short period of time.

- Painful when removing the strip.

- During the first stage when the new hair start to grow, some might experience itchiness, inflammation, and rashes.

- Cannot shower in warm water for at least 3 days to protect and preserve the skin

- During each treatment, the skin will feel warm. But this sensation will disappear within 15-20 minutes after the treatment.

- Keratosis Pilaris may occur only in the 1-2 treated area, resulting in a hard and thick hair.

Thank you for the information from: haamor.com , medthai.com

Contact Us:
Call Center : +66 2 714 9555
Whatsapp : +66 96 116 0806
Facebook : SLCclinic
Skype : SLCclinic
LINE : @SLCclinic