Hair removal describes any method of removing hair, especially from the human body.
- Depilation affects the part of the hair above the surface of the skin. The most common form of depilation is shaving. Another popular option is the use of chemical depilatories, which work by breaking the disulfide bonds that link the protein chains that give hair its strength, making the hair disintegrate.
- Epilation removed of the entire hair, including the part below the skin. Some individuals may use waxing, sugaring, epilation devices, lasers, intense pulsed light or electrology. Hair is also sometimes removed by plucking with tweezers.
Reasons for removing hair
Hair removal has been practiced for centuries in almost all human cultures. The methods used vary among times and regions, but shaving is the most common method.
Medical reasons
Patients' body hair was once shaved before surgery for reasons of hygiene; however, this turned out to be counter-productive, and as a result patients are no longer shaved in many hospitals. The shaving of hair has sometimes been used in attempts to eradicate lice or to minimize body odor due to accumulation of odor-causing micro-organisms in hair. Some people with trichiasis find it medically necessary to remove ingrown eyelashes.
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