Introduction
No, we are not talking about the ones at the top of your head, but those that are at other parts of the body. Hair typically grows all over our human body during and after puberty. In general, male has more body hair than females due to the male hormone, but for some ladies, the amount of body hair can be quite alarming and therefore, the removal of hair is encouraged.
There are a lot of products in the market, but we may generalise it as two main categories. One is the permanent hair remover, the other is temporary. The term “permanent” can be pretty enticing, however do know that our body hair will still grow, unless there is a damage to our cells or body tissue that covers up the hair follicles, such as those happening to victims with scars and burning.
The most effective method for permanent hair removal for the past 130 years is still electrology. It is the only 100% permanent hair removal method which is recognised by government regulatory agencies. It permanently destroys germ cells that are responsible for hair growth. The method is to insert a fine probe in the hair follicle, and applying electrical current which is adjusted depending on the type of hair and treatment area. Do note that this is NOT transdermal electrolysis, which is a doubtful method of hair removal without published clinical proof of its reliability.
Meanwhile, some techniques are meant for permanent removal, such as the use of laser, high-energy lamps which are called “intense pulsed light”, and even high-energy LED for the diode epilation method. These methods are not permanent hair removal methods, but they do reduce the total number of body hairs.
On the other hand, for those of us who are afraid of the technologies, there are temporary methods available to us. The most common method is shaving, or trimming. This can be done using a normal shaver or using an electric shaver. Of course it does not mean that men welcome women sharing their shavers, please get your own shavers set. Shaving will only remove hair at the surface of the skin and the result may last from several hours to several days, depending on the speed of your body hair growth. For some areas of the body, trimming may work too. Trimming may seem like a gigantic task for large areas such as legs or body, but please do not forget about nose hair. That is one of your body hair too.
Other more common methods include tweezing which involves the use of tweezers to pull out the hair (ouch!) and waxing. There are many waxing products in the market that we may use as DIY (cold wax strips) while most beauty salons offering wax services uses hot wax. It can be pretty painful when the strips are to be removed, because it pulls the hair out from the follicles.
Some serious hair growth may require us to see the doctor for a prescription. For these, the doctor will prescribe oral medications that will inhibit the development of new hair cells, sometimes involving the balancing of hormones.