How Does Epilation Work?
When I first started looking for more information on hair removal,
I came across terms that I didn't know much about. Terms like
epilation, depilation, follicle, wax were everywhere in articles
and ads. I started asking myself questions: How does epilation
work? What is follicle? What are the different ways to remove
unwanted hair?
That’s when I decided to do some
digging and find the answers for myself. Now I am quite aware
of what many of these terms mean and how the different methods
for hair removal actually work.
In this article I am going to discuss what is epilation as opposed
to depilation. The words sound very similar but the final results
are quite different.
They are both used for hair removal, but with the depilation
the hair is removed only to the surface of the skin, whereas
with the epilation the entire hair is removed from the follicle.
This is the reason why with epilation the hair grows a lot slower
compared to depilation.
There is another important thing you need to know. Depilation
refers only to temporary hair removal. The most popular methods
for hair removal through depilation are: shaving, depilatory
and friction.
On the other hand epilation can be temporary and permanent.
The different methods here are: temporary - tweezing, waxing,
sugaring, electric epilators; permanent - electrolysis, laser,
photo epilation.
Let’s discuss in more detail how
the different types of epilation work.
Tweezing refers to hair removal using
tweezers to pluck hair from the follicle. It’s an effective method but it’s
very slow at achieving the final task.
Waxing is when you apply a layer of either
hot or cold wax directly on the skin, which then you quickly
pull with the help of a piece of cloth. It’s fast end effective but it’s
painful also especially on areas like bikini and underarms.
People who use waxing on a regular basis say after the first
several times the body gets somewhat used to the pain.
Sugaring is very similar to waxing. The only difference is that
you use sugar-based substance instead of wax.
Electric epilators have rotating heads that grasp the hairs
and pull them from the follicle. This method is slower than waxing,
as it can't pull many hairs at the same time.
In the electrolysis each hair is treated
individually. A needle-like device is injected into the follicle
and then an electric charge is run through it. This way the
follicle roots are permanently damaged. This is a very effective
method but it’s painful
and it’s also very slow.
Laser refers to a method in which a beam of laser light is projected
on your skin. This beam is then attracted by the dark color of
the hair. It also causes permanent damage to the follicle. Although
the laser hair removal is pain-free there are some limitations
to it.
First, it mainly works on dark hairs and
fair skins. If you are dark tanned the laser hair removal will
not be very effective. Second, there aren't strong evidences
that this method provides a real permanent hair removal. Third,
it’s quite expensive.
Photo epilation, also known as pulsed
laser, is a newer method, very similar to the laser hair removal
procedure. A pulsed light beam is used to destroy the follicle’s
ability to produce new hair. The advantages are it is effective
for any colors and types of skin. The disadvantages are it
might be expensive like in the previous method.
Now that you know about the different types of epilation and
how each of them works, you probably have a better idea which
method will best suit your particular needs.
Choose any of the categories on the left to find out what consumers
think are the best tools and products for each type of epilation.
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