The Society
for Clinical and Medical Hair Removal hopes the information contained on this
page will provide information and assistance to those consumers seeking proficiency
in hair removal. For further information please contact us at
Not all temporary methods of hair removal are
safe for the skin. The contraindications for each are as follows:
Abrasion - The use of abrasive mitts or pumice stones to remove hair often
abrades the skin enough to increase the blood supply to encourage the hair
to return stronger and darker. This constant abrasion of the skin may also
cause the skin to become thicker, and callused.
Clipping - Affects only the dead keratinized tissue of the hair and does
not damage the epidermis or affect the blood supply to the skin. Creates
stubble from large hairs.
Depilatories - These chemicals are designed to dissolve the hair. Also
affecting the epidermis, top layer of the skin. It takes approximately
28 days for the body to replace the epidermis after removal. If depilatories
are used more often, there is the danger that the skin may be burned by the
caustic action of the depilatory. The skin treats the action of the depilatory
as an injury and rushes blood to the area to rebuild the skin as rapidly
as possible, thereby possibly increasing the size and texture of hairs in
the area. The skin of some individuals may also become inconsistent in color,
or mutant in nature after prolonged use or misuse of chemical depilatories.
Shaving - Cuts the hair very close to the skin and is recommended for fast
removal of hair from the lower legs of females and the faces of males since
the epidermis of males is thicker than females. Shaving an area of very curly
or kinky hair can often cause ingrown hairs that can become inflamed and
very painful. Shaving too close can also allow bacteria to invade the hair
follicles and cause a painful condition called folliculitis. A persistent
condition of inflamed follicles should be attended by a physician.
Tweezing - When hairs are torn from follicles, the skin treats this as an
injury and will increase the blood supply to the area in an effort to replace
the hair tissue as soon as possible. Prolonged tweezing on some areas will
increase the number and texture of hairs. This prolonged tweezing may also
cause hyperpigmentation (darkening) or hypopigmentation (loss of color) because
of stimulation or damage to pigment producing cells of the skin. There is
also the risk of bacterial infection that should be considered. Caution should
be used in tweezing eyebrows because of the possibility of a short blood
supply to the area on the frontal bone. These hairs may never grow back.
Waxing - This procedure is tweezing en masse and causes an even greater increase
in the blood supply than tweezing. Every hair removed with the wax may grow
back stronger and thicker in texture. Caution should be used with hot wax
applied to sensitive areas of the body such as the face or groin areas. Heating
and burning also cause an increase in blood supply to the area. This increases
the size and texture of hair in addition to the risk of formation of scar
tissue to the burned areas.
Home Devices
The consuming public has no trouble finding a device that promises to solve
the problem of unwanted hair, however, home devices can give less than satisfactory
results . Let us first discuss how hair grows on the skin. Tiny hairs develop
near the basal cell membrane that separates the epidermis(outer skin) from
the dermis(inner skin). As these tiny hairs grow outward, they also grow
downward, seeking a better blood supply. This growth results in an indentation
of the epidermis creating a follicle or tiny tube in the skin. Technically
the hair is growing on the outside of the skin and is only attached to the
body at the bottom of the follicle where it connects to tiny capillaries
that support the hair growth. It is this tiny bundle of vascular tissue(capillaries)that
must be destroyed to remove the hair permanently.
Devices for home use come in two categories: Needle Type - These devices are usually operated by battery and theoretically
can be permanent. It is very difficult for an individual (even professionals)
to work on oneself because of the many sensory nerves in the skin that cause
confusion in depth of insertion. A psychologically healthy person may have
difficulty inserting the tiny wire deep enough to reach the vascular tissue and
may unintentionally inflict heat damage to the upper skin layer, without affecting
the lower tissue. An insertion in the wrong direction may cause bruising and
or complications of unintentional invasion of the skin. These home devices may
also be less efficient in power output than a professional device, therefore
becoming very uncomfortable and time consuming to use.
Needle type devices should be used with the help of magnification and
special lighting to allow the superficial application of current to the bottom
of the hair follicle without puncturing the skin. Permanent hair removal by needle type
devices is best done by a professional electrologist who has been trained properly
to reach and destroy the vascular tissue that supports the growth of hair. For
more information, see the Directory for listings of a Certified Clinical Electrologists,
a Certified Medical Electrologist (includes laser specialists) in your area.
Tweezer Devices - Home tweezer devices are divided
into two categories:
One device claims no permanency and utilizes revolving springs or another apparatus
to grab the hair and remove it. Some users of this device complain of the discomfort
due to indiscriminant pulling in the opposite direction of the growth, like pulling
a large piece of adhesive tape from the skin. The results are the same as tweezing
each hair individually.
The other tweezer home device is sometimes referred to as an electrified
tweezer and often claims permanency. In the US FDA, September 1996 Report, it was
stated that these devices are now being reviewed by the agency to determine permanency
(www.fda.gov/ Consumer Index Hair Removal Sept.96 21-24). Permanency should
not be claimed by the manufacturers of these products until clearance has been
obtained from the FDA. If a home tweezer device has been sold as permanent, it
should be reported to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/ consumer complaints.
Suppliers of electrified tweezer devices often promote their device by making
disparaging remarks about legitimate electrolysis treatments. What these suppliers
should realize is that some individuals with prolific hair growth may have a
serious underlying illness that may go undiscovered because of fear of legitimate
treatment. If you have questions or concerns about your hair growth, discuss
this with the electrologist so a medical treatment plan can be implemented if
necessary.
SCMHR Home Office: 2810 Crossroads
Drive, Ste. 3800, Madison, WI 53718
Phone: (608) 443-2470 | Fax: (608) 443-2474 | E-Mail:
The Society for Clinical & Medical Hair Removal Inc. has created and maintains
this Web site as a benefit and educational source. While some of the information
on this site is about medical issues, it is not medical advice and should not
be construed as such.
