Beauty

Unwanted: Hair
Cora Llamas writes about the old and new methods of removing unwanted hair in women.
Long black, beautiful hair is the crowning glory of any woman. But only if it flows from the top of her head. Unwanted hair usually appears on a lady's armpits, legs and upper lip, according to Dr. Gertrude Chan, a fellow of the Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS). There is no specific age when the "hair attack" begins-in adolescence, middle age, even in childhood, says Chan.

Hair removal has become a painful but necessary procedure for women with excess hair. Why are some women hairier than others? Hairiness apparently has little to do with lifestyle, age or clean living. "It's genetics," says Chan.

AESTHETIC AND MEDICAL REASONS
Most patients who consult dermatologists for their hairiness do so for reasons of aesthetics and vanity, says Dr. Mylene Ledda, also a PDS fellow. But there are medical conditions that result in excessive hair growth.

Hirsutism is a condition in which too much hair grows on the face or body, Ledda explains. Although hirsutism can occur in both men and women, it is usually only a problem for women. Women with hirsutism have dark, thick hair on their face, chest, abdomen and back. This thick, dark hair is different from the hair that some women have on their upper lip, chin, breasts or stomach, or the fine "baby" hair all over their body.

Hypertrichosis is usually described as an excessive quantity of hair in a normal location on one's body compared to others of the same sex, age and ethnic background, Ledda explains. A woman with a full beard would be called hirsute because women do not normally have a beard. When a woman has a lot of hair on the calf of the leg, it would not be called hirsutism but hypertrichosis as women normally have hair on their calves. Women who have a few chin hairs and a few upper lip hairs would be called hypertrichotic but not hirsute.

Fortunately, Ledda points out, these conditions are rare.

TRADITIONAL METHODS
Waxing. Hot wax is applied gently over the skin, with a strip of cloth pressed onto the preparation. The hair strands are removed with a quick pull of the strip.

Advantages:

• Feasible to cover large areas
• Can be done at home
• Fast
• Inexpensive
• Results last for a long time

Disadvantages:

• Painful
• May burn skin if wax is too hot
• Hair can break off at or below the surface
• Can be messy
• Consistency is difficult to correct
• Infection risk

Shaving. The most popular method. A sharp, fine blade is used to cut the hair on the surface of the skin.

Advantages:

• Inexpensive
• Fast
• Usually painless
• Easy and safe
• Available almost anywhere

Disadvantages:

• Can cause irritation and cuts
• Skin may darken
• Makes hair less flexible and coarser when it grows back, making it appear more obvious
• Effects last a short time
• Blades require frequent replacement

Tweezing. Also used to shape the eyebrows. Metal forceps pluck the strands from the root.

Advantage:

• Very useful for eyebrows or stray hair on face

Disadvantages:

• Can be painful
• Time-consuming
• Difficult for large areas
• May cause ingrown hair
• May cause pitting or scarring
• Requires use of mirror
• Some areas are difficult to do yourself
• Care must be taken when shaping brows: one or two hair strands can make a big difference in brow shape

ROTARY EPILATION
Like tweezing, this pulls the hairs out from the roots. The devices used are similar to electric razors, using rows of tweezers, instead of a cutting blade, on a rotary head.

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 hair
• Hair must be grown long enough for tweezers to grasp
• Plucking hair can lead to irritated skin and ingrown hair

ELECTROLYSIS
A hair-thin metal probe is slid into a hair follicle. Proper insertion does not puncture the skin. Electricity is delivered to the follicle through the probe, which causes localized damage to the areas that generate hair.

Advantages:

• By far the best and yields longer-lasting results
• Over 125 years of clinically proven safety and effectiveness

Disadvantages:

• Can be expensive, painful, tedious, difficult for large amounts of hair
• Side effects include pain, scarring, infection and folliculitis, a deep infection and inflammation of the hair follicles.

HIGH-TECH HAIR REMOVAL
Chan uses the Multi-Light Skin Perfecting Therapy, wherein intense light, in a series of gentle pulses, targets hair follicles. "Because the roots die, hair no longer grows," she explains. The procedure, which causes a mild sting and does not require anesthesia, can take several weeks as only mature hair follicles are targeted. Some patients have to wait at least 6 weeks for their hair to mature, Chan says.

Many high-tech hair removal devices involve laser treatment. These include the Alexandrite lasers, the Ruby lasers, the Diode laser array and the Xenon flash lamp.

The number of laser treatments necessary varies, depending on the device used, hair and skin color. Side effects include blistering and hyperpigmentation (darkening of skin). "Lasers should not be used within the eye area as these can cause severe retinal damage," Ledda cautions.

High-tech hair removal is still a young science. Always consult a dermatologist before deciding to undergo any of the newer hair-removal methods.