What Are The Top 4 Myths About Hair Removal?

While much attention, resources and worry is afforded to the hair that occupies a person’s scalp, often what gets neglected in the process is other bodily hair. And perhaps rightly so, for most people rather do without, as opposed to nurturing and growing it (with of course the exception being where it is considered desirable, such as men that maintain a healthy mustache or beard). Women, quite notably have for eons been investing in hair-removal creams, shaving, IPL/laser hair removal treatment, and various other methods to remove the body hair. But there are several myths regarding body hair and its removal.

In this column, we will try to know the reality of such myths and misconceptions:

 

●       Shaving and plucking make the hair grow thicker

○       The thickness of the hair depends on the genes, ethnicity, and hormones. Shaving does not have any effect on hair roots and their colour or thickness. Shaving only cuts hair at the surface.

●       Laser hair removal will lead to skin cancer

○       The energy used in approved IPL and laser devices (although sometimes painful, especially when getting the treatment done at a clinic), is harmless. It is specially designed to target the hair follicle. With research having been done on the subject by various scientific scholars, no evidence has come forth that proves the harmful effect of lasers or IPL, when used for hair treatment, on the skin.

●       Darked skinned people are unable to benefit for laser hair removal

○       While not entirely false, whereby, very dark pigmented skin often has melanin, and whereas most IPL and laser treatments target melanin in the hair follicle, this can become an issue, the technology has gotten leaps and bound ahead of where it was just a few years ago and even dark people are increasingly able to get an appropriate consultation and get the right laser for their skin. For example, to check if one is a suitable candidate for at-home laser hair removal, a person is able to check on website such as evenskyn’s IPL hair removal (Pulsar’s) product listing which has a widget selector where you may select the hair and skin colour and find out if you’re a candidate for that device or not.

●       Regular waxing makes the body hair thinner

○       Waxing is a hair removal process that involves plucking and tearing body hair from the roots. There can be some damage to hair follicles because of the regular waxing. But there is nothing serious or thinning effect on the hair that will trouble you.

You might have come across any such myths about hair removal. It is important to debunk the myths with reference to facts, studies and scientific proof. In conclusion, appreciate that our skin being our largest organ, and the barrier and gateway to the outside world, deserves the right approved treatments and pampering, and as such, while we hope that what has been shared in this article proves useful, all of this advice should be superseded by what a dermatologist would have to share and advise on this topic, and that seeing one prior to, or during, a laser or IPL hair removal treatment, is extremely advisable.