THE HAIR LOSS CENTER NO LONGER OFFERS HAIR REMOVAL SERVICES

The growth of unwanted hair on the face, arms, legs, back, or bikini line is often a cause of concern. See Excessive Hair Growth. Many methods of hair removal are available; they include shaving, chemical depilatories, waxing, threading, electrolysis, and laser.

Probably the most time-honored form of hair removal in the United States is shaving or depilatories. Shaving is best performed when the hair has been thoroughly hydrated, i.e. after a bath or shower. Although liquid or bar soap may be used, shaving "creams" are most popular because they don't run down the neck, face, or leg in the process of actually shaving. They also serve as an indicator as to "where you have been" in the shaving ritual. When hair is cut with a razor, the tip becomes squared off. This makes the new growth feel stubbly or "thicker." Shaving does not stimulate hair growth. The new growth feels more coarse because the tip of the hair has a sharp cut edge, rather than a natural tapered. Plucking, electrolysis, and laser removal result in regrowth of a naturally soft tapered hair. Chemical depilatories work essentially the same as shaving, but the tip of the hair removed at the skin line, is somewhat blunted because it has been chemically dissolved, rather than cut.

In the process of waxing, a sticky heated bee's wax preparation is spread on the skin where the hair is present. The wax adheres to the hair, and when removed it pulls out the hairs by their roots. Unfortunately, waxing is not permanent. In fact, when the hair is pulled out, the follicle is stimulated to begin anagen phase again, and a new hair grows within several weeks. Waxing has an advantage over shaving and chemical depilatories in that the hair is removed with its root, rather than removed at the skin line. The new hair, which is softly tapered, takes a few weeks to reach the surface of the skin, and therefore regrowth is delayed, rather than immediate. Waxing is quick, although many find it uncomfortable. It has the disadvantage of irritating the skin because of the heated wax burning, or the mechanical removal of actual skin by adhesion of the wax to the skin's top layer.

Plucking with a tweezer is commonly used to remove eyebrow hairs. It is convenient and rapid, but somewhat tedious if large areas are to be treated. Emergency rooms doctors are taught not to shave eyebrows if they have to do some stitching in the area. Because 90% of the hairs in the eyebrow are in telogen phase (as opposed to 10% of scalp hairs in telogen phase) it usually takes many months or years before the growth phase naturally switches to anagen. For this reason, shaved eyebrows seem to take "forever" before they regrow. When a telogen eyebrow hair is plucked however, the growth phase is disrupted and the hair is immediately converted to anagen phase, with predictable regrowth.

For those patients who prefer a more lasting form of hair removal, there is a procedure called "no-needle" electrolysis. The procedure is painless, non-scarring, non-discoloring, and is FDA-approved. In comparison to traditional "needle" electrolysis, the method requires fewer visits and is reported to destroy hair more effectively. An electric current is conducted down the hair that has been moistened with an electrically conductive solution. With "needle" electrolysis, the hair canal is entered with a fine needle that conducts the electricity. Patients who have plucked or waxed for years are often poor candidates for needle electrolysis. The reason being that their hair canals are somewhat curved due to the repeated trauma ...the needle cannot be easily passed down to the hair bulb.

For those who want excess hair removed, removal can be performed via medical waxing or state of the art Intense Pulsed Light Laser. The procedure is essentially painless and leaves no immediate after effect - go to lunch a few minutes later. Usually 4 to 6 IPL treatments are required to obtain a sustained growth arrest, and then 1 to 2 treatments per year to maintain it. The IPL does not work on blonde or white hair because it uses the pigment in the hair as a target.

THE HAIR LOSS CENTER NO LONGER OFFERS HAIR REMOVAL SERVICES