Shaving
Cream Depilatories
Friction
Tweezing or Plucking
Waxing
Sugaring
Threading (khite)
Rotary Epilators
Electrolysis
Flashlamp
Prescription Oral Medicines
Vaniqa
Photodynamic Therapy
Electric Tweezers
Transdermal Electrolysis
Transcutaneous Hair Removal
Microwave Hair Removal
Dietary Supplements
Photoepilators
1. Shaving
Shaving is the most commonly used hair removal method. It is cheap, quick, and has minimal side effects. However, its only drawback is that it is not long-lasting. In this process, a sharpened metal blade is used to cut off hair at the skin's surface.
Advantages:
Inexpensive, fast, usually painless, very safe, can be done at home, available almost anywhere.
Disadvantages:
Effect lasts a short time - anywhere from a few hours to several days.
Dark-haired users may have visible "shadow" of dark hair under skin.
Often requires daily use
Can cause skin irritation and cuts
For some, it causes ingrown hairs (esp. in women's bikini area and African-American men's facial hair).
Blades require frequent replacement
Costs: Anywhere between $1.00 to $25.00 for manual razors and supplies.
For a professional shave (barber): Between $5.00 to $30.00, depending on location and type (straight razor is usually more)
Accessories Required: Shaving creams and gels, replacement blade cartridges, before and after-shave products, usually between $1.00 and $15.00
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
2. Cream Depilatories
In cream depilatories, a chemical dissolves hair at the skin's surface. Though cream depilatories are common, but the caustic ingredients have caused some consumers skin irritation or even chemical burns.
Advantages:
Inexpensive, fast, sometimes painless, can be done at home, available almost anywhere.
Disadvantages:
Effect lasts a short time - between a few hours to several days. Dark-haired users may have visible "shadow" of dark hair under skin. Often requires use every two or three days.
Can cause skin irritation and cuts
Can be a severe skin and eye irritant
Costs: Anywhere between $1.00 to $8.00 a bottle
Accessories required: Baby oil, gloves, old towel
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
3. Friction
Though it is a less common method of removing hair at skin's surface, some consumers find it primarily useful for fine hair on legs. In this process, a rough surface is used to buff away hair at the skin's surface. The mitt usually has rough strips or a smoothing surface coated directly onto the mitt.
Advantages:
Inexpensive, fast, essentially painless
Can be done at home
Available widely
Also exfoliates and smoothens skin
Many types can be used wet or dry
Good for legs with fine hair
Some use it between shaving or waxing sessions
Disadvantages:
Effect lasts a short time - anywhere from a few hours to several days
Dark-haired users may have visible "shadow" of dark hair under skin
Often requires use every two or three days
Can cause skin irritation if rubbed too hard
Do not use on face, arms, or bikini area
Do not use on irritated or damaged skin
Costs of Mitts: From $2.00 to $6.00 per mitt
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
4. Tweezing or Plucking
Metal forceps are used manually to pull hairs out by the root, one or a few at a time.
Advantages:
Very useful for eyebrows or stray hairs on face
Disadvantages:
Should not be used for nose hairs
Can be painful
Difficult for large areas
May cause ingrown hairs
May cause pitting or scarring
Requires use of mirror
Some areas are difficult to do yourself
Care needs to be taken while shaping brows: one or two hairs can make a big difference in brow shape
Costs: Between $2.00 - $20.00
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
5. Waxing
Hot wax is applied to the skin, and a strip of cloth or paper is pressed into the preparation. The strip is then quickly pulled away, taking hairs with it.
Advantages:
Can be done at home
Fast
Inexpensive
Disadvantages:
Hairs can break off at or below surface
Can be messy
Consistency is difficult to get correct
One must be careful to avoid infecting skin
Costs: About $75 for home use kits; $20-$200 for professional waxing (based on areas treated)
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
6. Sugaring
A sticky paste is applied to the skin, and a strip of cloth or paper is pressed into the preparation. The strip is then quickly pulled away, taking hairs with it.
Advantages:
Can be done at home
Inexpensive
Disadvantages:
Hairs can break off at or below surface
Can be messy
Consistency is difficult to get correct
Costs: About $10-$20 for a kit
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
7. Threading (khite)
The practitioner holds one end of the cotton thread in his or her teeth and the other in the left hand. The middle is looped through the index and middle fingers of the right hand. The practitioner then uses the loop to trap a series of unwanted hairs and pull them from the skin. There are also devices made that can hold the thread during the procedure.
Advantages:
Inexpensive, fast, neat, considered less painful than plucking for many
Good for eyebrows and facial hair
Results can last up to two to four weeks
Disadvantages:
Hard to find a professional practitioner outside large cities.
Can be painful and cause itching afterwards
Side effects can include folliculitis, a bacterial infection in the hair follicles, skin reddening or puffiness, and changes in skin pigment
Costs: $5 per treatment for eyebrows; more for larger areas
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
8. Rotary Epilators
These devices are similar to electric razors, except instead of a cutting blade on a rotary head, they have rows of tweezers which can pull hairs out by the root.
Advantages:
Good for legs and arms
Can last from several days to several weeks
Disadvantages:
Can be hard to use on backs of legs
Skin must be pulled tight to avoid pinching
Some find it uncomfortable, especially on sensitive areas
Harder to use on fine hairs
Hair must be grown long enough for tweezers to grasp
Plucking hairs can lead to irritated skin and ingrown hairs
Costs: Between $40.00 to $120.00
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
9. Electrolysis
A hair-thin metal probe is slid into a hair follicle and electricity is delivered to the follicle through the probe, which causes localized damage to the areas that generate hairs. Electrolysis results in permanent hair removal for most consumers if performed correctly.
Advantages:
Long track records of results
Generally proven to be safe
Disadvantages:
Can be expensive
Can be painful
Can be tedious
Can be difficult for large amounts of hair
If done improperly, it can result in partial to full regrowth, lasting skin damage, and spread of infection.
Regulation varies by state, so inadequate controls exist to ensure competent practitioners.
Regrowth rates have not been accurately established and cannot be predicted due to numerous variables.
Some consumers do not respond to treatment
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
10. Flashlamp
Though less commonly used, some consumers have experienced permanent hair reduction through this process. However, there is limited data on how much hair reduction is typical, and how often hair reduction occurs.
The process works in the following manner: Full spectrum (non-coherent) light and low-range infrared radiation is filtered to allow a specified range of wavelengths. This filtered light is delivered from a hand piece into the skin, where it targets dark material such as the pigment in hair.
This is intended to cause thermal and/or mechanical damage to a hair follicle while sparing surrounding tissues.
Advantages:
Some consumers have experienced long-lasting to permanent hair removal
Considered safe if performed properly
Useful for large areas such as backs or legs
Regrowth can come back lighter in color or finer in texture
Light-skinned consumers with dark hair have the best results
Disadvantages:
Long-term data on safety and effectiveness have not been established
Response rates have not been established
Not as effective on unpigmented hairs and red or blonde hair
Must be used with caution on darker skin tones or on consumers who tan themselves
Improper treatment can cause burns, skin discoloration lasting several months, or patchy/grid-like regrowth
Requires eye protection
Is expensive and some find it to be painful
Regulation varies by state, so inadequate controls exist to ensure competent practitioners
Some consumers do not respond to treatment
Difference between flashlamps and lasers are:
a. Kind of light: flashlamps do not use one wavelength of light the way a laser does. Flashlamps emit every wavelength of light in the visible spectrum, and a little into the band of infrared radiation (up to about 1200 nm). Practitioners select a cutoff filter to block out lower wavelengths.
b. Size and shape of the spot (beam): Most flashlamps emit a beam that covers more area than a laser and have a rectangular spot, rather than the round type usually standard on lasers.
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
11. Prescription Oral Medications
Some prescription oral medications have been found to affect hair growth. They can be helpful in reducing hair growth in some consumers, though in many cases there may be serious side effects.
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
12. Vaniqa
Vaniqa is a prescription cream applied to the skin for the reduction of unwanted facial hair in women ages 12 and older. However, for unknown reasons, Vaniqa does not work for everyone. A prescription is needed from the doctor and insurance policies do not cover Vaniqa.
Effectiveness: About 58% of women who tried Vaniqa in clinical trials had improvement. The other 42% had no improvement.
The medication simply retards hair growth to improve the condition and the appearance of some consumers. An individual will still need to continue using a hair removal method along with Vaniqa. It usually takes about two months of treatment before the results are obvious. If you stop taking Vaniqa, your hair may come back to previous levels within two months after stopping.
The active ingredient in Vaniqa is eflornithine hydrochloride, which inhibits an enzyme that affects hair growth, called ornithine decarboxylase ( ODC ).
Vaniqa should not be used:
By men
By women who are pregnant or nursing
By females under age 12
Anywhere except on the face and chin
In the eyes, nose, mouth, or vagina
If you have severe acne or broken skin
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
13. Photodynamic Therapy
This is mainly an experimental method combining chemicals and radiation to induce controlled hair loss or reduction, in which a chemical is administered which selectively pigments a follicle's regenerative structures. The laser or other radiation selectively targets the darkened cells while sparing surrounding tissue.
Advantages:
Theoretically could target any hair color
Disadvantages:
It is experimental
Commercial use is not expected in the foreseeable future
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
14. Electric Tweezers
Electric tweezers and treatments with them should be avoided by all consumers. They are often promoted as permanent, though data has proven otherwise. In this process, an electric current is applied to a hair through an electrified tweezer. The tweezer grasps the hair above the skin's surface and holds it anywhere from 15 seconds to several minutes. Promoters claim (without adequate proof) that the electricity travels down the hair and permanently damages the hair root.
Advantages:
Some find treatment has less associated pain and side effects compared to ordinary tweezing
Safe if performed properly
Disadvantages:
No published clinical proof of claims that they can achieve permanent hair removal
No published clinical proof that electricity can travel through a hair and cause permanent damage to the root
Up to 100 times slower than ordinary tweezing
Can be expensive despite no published proof of permanence
Costs: Between $100.00 to $5,000.00+
Accessories Required: Some brands sell items like conductive gels, humidifiers, or pre and post-treatment products to "increase effectiveness".
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
15. Transdermal Electrolysis
A conductive gel is spread on the skin and electricity is passed through a cotton swab which is touched to the gel. Electricity supposedly travels down the hair follicle and permanently damages the hair root. Similar to the transcutaneous method, the validity of this method is yet to be proven.
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
16. Transcutaneous Hair Removal
A conductive gel is spread on the skin. Electricity is passed through an adhesive patch which is touched to the gel. Electricity supposedly travels down the hair follicle and permanently damages the hair root. No proven records of the validity of this method.
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
17. Microwave Hair Removal
Very limited data on safety and effectiveness (especially for use on the face) is available, which makes this a device to avoid until more data is available.
How it works: Microwave radiation is sent through a hand piece into the skin, where the energy causes thermal damage.
Advantages:
Targets all colors of hair
Disadvantages:
Targets everything else in the skin as well
Not cleared for use on the face
Not enough data on safety or effectiveness
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
18. Dietary Supplements
It is important to note that there are no published clinical data to back up claims that certain foods, over-the-counter medications, vitamins or other preparations taken by mouth can slow or stop hair growth. The only oral products that have demonstrated they can affect hair growth are prescription oral medications.
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
19. Photoepilators
A burst of filtered light is aimed at one hair at a time, which is then tweezed. However, there is no proof that this lasts longer than just tweezing.
How it works: A fiber optic probe is placed in or directly above a follicle and light-based energy is then sent through the probe and into the follicle. Promoters claim (without adequate proof) that the light can cause permanent damage to the hair follicle.
Advantages:
Some find treatment has less associated pain and side effects compared to tweezing
Safe if performed properly
Disadvantages:
No published clinical data demonstrating long-term effectiveness
Expensive and slow
Goto Top Find a doctor who can answer your questions
