Hair removal

For hair loss, see Alopecia.

Not to be confused with Unhairing.

Hair removal is the practice of removing body hair, and describes the methods used to achieve that result.

Depilation is the removal of the part of the hair above the surface of the skin. The most common form of depilation is shaving or trimming. Another option is the use of chemical depilatories, which work by breaking the disulfide bonds that link the protein chains that give hair its strength, making the hair disintegrate.

Epilation is the removal of the entire hair, including the part below the skin. Methods include waxing, sugaring, epilation devices, lasers, threading, intense pulsed light or electrology. Hair is also sometimes removed by plucking with tweezers.

Body hair

Hair typically grows all over the human body, but is most noticeable on the head, face, eyebrows, eyelashes, armpits, legs, pubic region, abdomen, back and chest. Hair does not generally grow on the palms of the hands, the lips, certain areas of the genital structure, or the soles of the feet.

Reasons for removing hair

See also: Pubic hair § Reasoning

Hair removal has been practiced in almost all human cultures. The methods used to remove hair have varied in different times and regions, but shaving is the most common method.

Cultural and sexual aspects

Hair is an aspect of the culture of human society. Hair may be present or absent, may be kept at different lengths or styled in different ways according to the cultural context. Its removal, entirely or from certain parts of the body, is normally done for cultural (including sexual) reasons, which may differ for males and females. People whose hair falls outside a culture's aesthetic standards may experience real or perceived social acceptance problems.

Many men in Western cultures shave their facial hair, so only a minority of men have a beard, even though fast-growing facial hair must be shaved daily to achieve a clean-shaven or hairless look. Some men shave because they cannot grow a "full" beard (generally defined as an even density from cheeks to neck), because their beard color is different from their scalp hair color, or because their facial hair grows in many directions, making a groomed look difficult. Some men shave because their beards are very coarse, causing itchiness and irritation. Some men grow a beard or moustache from time to time to change their appearance.

In many cultures, particularly North American and Western European, it became increasingly common during the 20th century for women to remove some or all of their body hair, due to societal values that consider it unattractive or unfeminine (see gender role). People may also remove some or all of their pubic hair for aesthetic or sexual reasons. Adult film stars are well known for this practice. In a sexual context, pubic hair removal is done to increase visual exposure of the genitalia and/or facilitate access to the genital area by removing the obstruction of hair. (See also bikini waxing).

Some women in Western cultures choose not to remove hair from their bodies as an act of defiance against what they believe to be an oppressive ritual. Others choose not to remove hair simply because they have no desire to. Likewise, some men in Western cultures show defiance by choosing to shave body hair, such as on the legs or underarms.

Some men shave their heads, either as a fashion statement, because they find a shaved head preferable to the appearance of male pattern baldness, or in order to attain enhanced cooling of the skull – particularly for people suffering from hyperhidrosis. A much smaller number of women also shave their heads, often as a fashion or political statement.

Some women also shave their heads for cultural or social reasons. In India, tradition required widows in some sections of the society to shave their heads as part of being ostracized (see widowhood in Hinduism). The outlawed custom is still infrequently encountered mostly in rural areas, the society at large and the government are working to end the practice of ostracizing widows.. In addition, it continues to be common practice for men and women to shave their heads prior to embarking on a pilgrimage.

In Ancient Egypt, many people depilated their entire bodies to prevent infestation by lice, fleas, and other parasites. Ancient Egyptian priests also shaved or depilated all over daily, so as to present a "pure" body before the images of the gods.

For religious reasons

Head-shaving is a part of some Buddhist, Christian, Jain and Hindu traditions. Buddhist and Christian monks generally undergo some form of head-shaving or tonsure during their ordination; in Thailand monks shave their eyebrows as well. Brahmin children have their heads ritualistically shaved before beginning school.

In some parts of the Theravada Buddhist world, it is common practice to shave the heads of children. Weak or sickly children are often left with a small topknot of hair, to gauge their health and mark them for special treatment. When health improves, the lock is cut off.

In Judaism, men are prohibited from shaving their beards or sideburns using a razor blade directly against the skin. However, electric razors may be used, since the cutting blade does not directly touch the skin, although even with an electric razor sideburns may not be cut shorter than the bottom of the man's cheekbone based on the verse in Leviticus 19:27 that "You shall not round off the פְּאַ֖ת Payot of your head" (Leviticus 19:27). The word Payot was taken to mean the hair in front of a man's ears extending to beneath the cheekbone, on a level with the nose (Talmud - Makkot 20a). This is the source of the custom in certain Orthodox Jewish circles to allow the hair over the ears to grow long and hang down in curls or ringlets known as Payot. Men also may not remove armpit or pubic hair by any means, as this is considered to be something that women do (Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 182).

Women may shave freely in Judaism, even using a blade or razor. In a few extreme Hasidic sects, married women traditionally shave their heads bald since they are prohibited to expose their hair to men other than their husbands and families; the vast majority of Orthodox Jews reject this practice as a form of unacceptable self-mutilation. Furthermore, both men and women are forbidden by Jewish law to cut their hair—and men are forbidden to shave—during a 30-day mourning period after the death of an immediate family member.

The Bahá'í religion explicitly prohibits head-shaving. Sikhs take an even stronger stance, opposing all forms of hair removal. One of the Sikh "Five Ks" is Kesh, meaning "uncut hair". To Sikhs, the maintenance and management of long hair is a manifestation of one's piety.

Muslim law (Sharia) puts hair in three categories: that which it is recommended to remove (moustache, pubic and armpit hair), that which it is recommended to keep (the beard), and that which is the object of limited recommendation (foot, hand, back, and chest hair). Removal of armpit and pubic hair is a hygienic practice which was taught by Muhammad and which was enumerated as having been part of practices conforming to man's premortal (Fitrah) nature practiced by all Prophets of God. On the other hand, shaving or removing part of the eyebrows is forbidden as the "modification of the creation of Allah and obedience to Satan in his work to fool men and bring them to modify the creation of Allah." Stray hairs between the eyebrows may be removed, but not the hairs of the eyebrows. A male may trim or cut hair on his head. A male may trim hair on the chest and back but may not remove it, as this is considered to be too feminine. In contrast, women are permitted to remove hair from these areas. In the 9th century, the use of chemical depilatories for women was introduced by Ziryab in Al-Andalus.

Medical reasons

Body hair on an unusually hirsute male

The body hair of surgical patients may be removed before surgery. In the past this may have been achieved by shaving, but that is now considered counter-productive, so clippers or chemical depilatories may be used instead. The shaving of hair has sometimes been used in attempts to eradicate lice or to minimize body odor due to accumulation of odor-causing micro-organisms in hair. Some people with trichiasis find it medically necessary to remove ingrown eyelashes. Incorrect shaving (shaving against the grain) can often cause ingrown hairs.

Many forms of cancer require chemotherapy, which often causes severe and irregular hair loss. For this reason, it is common for cancer patients to shave their heads even before starting chemotherapy.

Male-to-female gender reassignment

Male-to-female transsexual women who are preparing for sex reassignment surgery usually remove their facial beard hair, typically either by electrolysis or laser, or a combination of the two procedures. While this is commonly done entirely before surgery, some patients will start the procedure before surgery, and finish after a few months to several years, often due to cost.

In addition, some surgeons recommend that a part of the pubic hair be removed prior to surgery as well, usually by electrolysis. Since the neovagina is created using the skin of the penis and part of the scrotum, which usually has active follicles, the hair is removed from these areas prior to surgery, in order for the genitals to be fashioned without the concern of hair growth inside of the neovagina. In some cases, the surgeon scrapes the underside of the skin to remove the follicles at or near the beginning of the surgery, eliminating the need for post-surgical hair removal.

In military institutions

A close-cropped or completely shaven haircut is common in military organizations. In field environments, soldiers are susceptible to infestation of lice, ticks, and fleas. In addition short hair is also more difficult for an enemy to grab hold of in hand to hand combat.

The practice serves to cultivate a group oriented environment through the process of removing exterior signs of individuality. In many militaries - Russia and the other ex USSR states for example, head-shaving is mandatory for males when beginning their training. However, even after the initial recruitment phase, when head-shaving is no longer required, many soldiers maintain a completely or partially shaven hairstyle (such as a "high and tight", "flattop" or "buzz cut") for personal convenience and an exterior symbol of military solidarity. Head-shaving is not required of females in military service, although they must have their hair cut or tied to regulation length.

Russian and other ex Soviet republic armies also require males to maintain clean-shaven faces, allegedly because facial hair can prevent an air-tight seal between the face and breathing or safety equipment, such as a pilot's oxygen mask, a diver's mask, or a soldier's gas mask.

Alternatively, Foreign Legion sappers have traditionally worn beards as a sign of their rank and experience. Similarly the Imperial Guard of the Grande Armee were allowed to grow beards as a sign of their prized position. European armies before (and to some extent during) the Napoleonic wars allowed soldiers to grow and lacquer pigtails, sometimes held in place by bone combs or regimental colour ribbons or bows. In the pre-Napoleonic era, the wearing of wigs, even within the ranks was commonplace, though impractical in such places as India and the Americas. Selous Scouts, once through training and induction, were expressly forbidden from cutting their hair in any way that might indicate that they were soldiers, allowing them to engage in anti-insurgency warfare amongst the rural population of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Tolerance of Sikh religious beliefs with regards to hair and beards has for some time been commonplace in most armies of former British colonies.

Sporting reasons

It is a common practice for professional road cyclists to remove leg hair for a number of reasons. In the case of a crash, the absence of the leg hair means the injuries (usually road rash) can be cleaned up more efficiently, and treatment is not impeded. Professional cyclists also receive regular leg massages, and the absence of hair reduces the friction and increases their comfort and effectiveness. It is also common for professional swimmers to shave hair off their legs to prevent drag with the water from slowing them down.

As punishment

In some situations, people's hair is shaved as a punishment or form of humiliation.

After World War II, head-shaving was a common punishment in France, the Netherlands, and Norway for women who had collaborated with the Nazis during the occupation, and, in particular, for women who had "collaborated" sexually.

In the United States, during the Vietnam War, conservative students would sometimes attack student radicals or "hippies" by shaving beards or cutting long hair. One notorious incident occurred at Stanford University, when unruly fraternity members grabbed Resistance founder (and student-body president) David Harris, cut off his long hair, and shaved his beard.

In Arab countries, shaving off head-hair is sometimes used to shame and humiliate male prisoners.

During European witch-hunts of the Medieval and Early Modern periods, alleged witches were stripped naked and their entire body shaved to discover the so-called witches' marks. The discovery of witches' marks was then used as evidence in trials.

Hair removal methods

Many products on the market have proven fraudulent. Many other products exaggerate the results or ease of use.

Temporary

"Depilation", or removal of hair to the level of the skin, lasts several hours to several days and can be achieved by

• Shaving or trimming (manually or with electric shavers)
• Depilatories (creams or "shaving powders" which chemically dissolve hair)
• Friction (rough surfaces used to buff away hair)

"Epilation", or removal of the entire hair from the root, lasts several days to several weeks and may be achieved by

• Tweezing (hairs are tweezed, or pulled out, with tweezers or with fingers)
• Waxing (a hot or cold layer is applied and then removed with porous strips)
• Sugaring (similar to waxing, but with a sticky paste)
• Threading (also called fatlah or khite, in which a twisted thread catches hairs as it is rolled across the skin)
• Burning off with hot wax can damage the cells and prevent hair from ever growing in the unwanted spot again.
• Use of Turmeric along with other ingredients like besan powder and milk
• Epilators (mechanical devices that rapidly grasp hairs and pull them out)
• Prescription oral medications
• Drugs that directly attack hair growth or inhibit the development of new hair cells. Hair growth will become less and less until it finally stops; normal depilation/epilation will be performed until that time. Hair growth will return to normal if use of product discontinued. Products include the prescription drug Vaniqa, with the active ingredient eflornithine hydrochloride inhibiting the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase, preventing new hair cells from producing putrescine for stabilizing their DNA.

Permanent

Permanent hair removal involves several imperfect options. A number of methods have been developed that use chemicals, energy of varying types, or a combination to target the areas that regulate hair growth. Permanently destroying these areas while sparing surrounding tissue is a difficult challenge. Methods include:

• Electroepilation
  • Electrolysis or electrology
  • Thermolysis
  • Blend (combination of electrolysis and thermolysis)
• Photoepilation
  • Laser hair removal (lasers and laser diodes)
  • Intense pulsed light (high-energy lamps)
  • Diode epilation (high energy LEDs but not laser diodes)
• Ultrasoundepilation
  • Ultrasound

Experimental or banned methods

• Photodynamic therapy for hair removal (experimental)
• X-ray hair removal is an efficient, and usually permanent, hair removal method, but also causes severe health problems, occasional disfigurement, and even death. It is illegal in the United States.

Doubtful methods

Many methods have been proposed or sold over the years without published clinical proof they can work as claimed.

• Electric tweezers
• Transdermal electrolysis
• Transcutaneous hair removal
• Photoepilators
• Microwaves
• Foods and Dietary supplements
• Non prescription topical preparations (also called "hair inhibitors," "hair retardants," or "hair growth inhibitors")

Advantages and disadvantages

There are several disadvantages to many of these hair removal methods. Most are not permanent, can cause medical problems and permanent damage, or have very high costs. Some of these methods are still in the testing phase and their methods have not been clinically proven. One should seek the advice of a doctor-supervised facility when choosing these hair removal methods.

One issue, that can be considered an advantage or a disadvantage depending upon an individual's viewpoint, is that removing hair has the effect of removing information about the individual's hair growth patterns due to genetic predisposition, illness, androgen levels (such as from pubertal hormonal imbalances or drug side effects), and/or gender status.

See also

• Alopecia
• Hairdressing
• Head shaving
• Hirsutism
• Pubic hair removal
• Trichotillomania

References

Bibliography

• Aldraibi MS, Touma DJ, Khachemoune A (2007). "Hair removal with the 3-msec alexandrite laser in patients with skin types IV-VI: efficacy, safety, and the role of topical corticosteroids in preventing side effects". Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 6 (1): 60–6. PMID 17373163. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Alexiades-Armenakas M (2006). "Laser hair removal". Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 5 (7): 678–9. PMID 16865877.
• Eremia S, Li CY, Umar SH, Newman N (2001). "Laser hair removal: long-term results with a 755 nm alexandrite laser". Dermatologic Surgery. 27 (11): 920–4. doi:10.1046/j.1524-4725.2001.01074.x. PMID 11737124. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• McDaniel DH, Lord J, Ash K, Newman J, Zukowski M (1999). "Laser hair removal: a review and report on the use of the long-pulsed alexandrite laser for hair reduction of the upper lip, leg, back, and bikini region". Dermatologic Surgery. 25 (6): 425–30. doi:10.1046/j.1524-4725.1999.08118.x. PMID 10469087. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Wanner M (2005). "Laser hair removal". Dermatologic Therapy. 18 (3): 209–16. doi:10.1111/j.1529-8019.2005.05020.x. PMID 16229722.
• Warner J, Weiner M, Gutowski KA (2006). "Laser hair removal". Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology. 49 (2): 389–400. doi:10.1097/00003081-200606000-00020. PMID 16721117. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• rootsherbal various herb & oils good factor [1]

External links

• Hair Removal Free Information and Guide.
• Eyebrow Hair Transplant
• Latest information on hair removal methods for men
• HairFacts.com, with information on several methods of hair removal
• WebMD article on Hair removal
• "Bleaching, Shaving, Plucking, Waxing, and Sugar Waxing" from About.com
• Laser Facts (US Food and Drug Administration)
• American Academy of Dermatology, Public Resource Center, Laser Hair Removal
• American Society for Dermatologic Surgery: search for: "Laser Hair Removal Fact Sheet"
• American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery
• Permanent hair removal by normal-mode ruby laser, from the Archives of Dermatology
• US Hair Removal Clinics A directory of hair removal clinics in United States
• Hair Removal Clinics in America and Canada Hair removal treatment information and a directory of hair removal clinics across the US and Canada