Take it off! Best choices for hair removal

Hair is a gift from God. However, it becomes not only a beauty problem for women, but it is considered a health disorder sometimes.
Women feel that their beauty and femininity lack as long as there is hair in unwanted areas. Soft and hairless skin is considered an essential part of perfect beauty. So, unwanted hair in the wrong places is a real nightmare. It is known that human being is born with a certain number of hair follicles that do not increase with age, but during puberty, and because of the effect of the hormones, hair become thicker, darker and longer.
Sayidaty hosted a group of dermatologists, endocrinologists and laser specialists, Dr. Sihad Hindi, Dr. Muhammed Qashmar, Dr. Suha Ibrahim and Dr. Ameera Zaqzouq to find out more about hair removal.

Reasons for excess hair:
Dr. Hindi said some factors that lead to the abundance of hair include:
• Races such as Caucasians and Indians.
• Insufficiency in the adrenal and pituitary gland.
• Polycystic ovaries, which is common among women.
• Thyroid gland disorder or cirrhosis in some advanced cases.
• High blood pressure in case of using some drugs that inhibit/treat the immune system.
• The usage of cortisone creams on the face/body for long periods.
In such health disorder, hair starts appearing profusely on the face, especially in the mustache, chin and neck areas, the breast, under the stomach/back and thighs. This is known as hirsutism. The hair is dark and grows rapidly, especially after removing it by old-fashioned ways.
To know about the causes of unwanted hair, general checkups and blood/urine tests are important to check the levels of the male hormones and other hormones. Also, tests should be conducted to check the presence of ovarian neoplasms or tumors in the pituitary and adrenal glands, if any.

Proper age for hair removal:
Dr. Qashmar said during puberty and at the beginning of the menstrual cycle, hormonal changes occur, which lead to thick hair growth in private parts, underarms and bikini line. Skin discoloration is very common in these areas. So, it is better to use laser at the age of 15 and 16, in addition to skin lightening/smoothing creams. Laser treatment is safe until before marriage, but it needs at least 4-8 months. There are other hair removal methods, like waxing by using wax or sugar and threading.
To avoid pain during the process of hair removal, Dr. Muhammed advises the use of an anesthetic spray or cream. After finishing, it is better to use medical creams to cool the area.

Methods of hair removal:
There are various ways and methods to get rid of hair or at least make them invisible. The easiest and simplest ways are:
• Shaving: Shaving is a very easy and fast way to remove hair, and it is not harmful. However, many women believe that shaving leads to increased hair growth. This is an absolutely false belief because hair do not get affected by shaving. Short and inflexible hair that come up a few days after shaving give the impression that the hair has become thicker.
• Dyeing the hair with a color that is close to the skin tone. Chemicals are used, such as peroxide that works on lightening the hair color. What makes this method special is that it is simple and not painful. However, one must be careful about the allergy that the chemical might cause.
• Using hair removal lotions can cause skin irritations so it is better to test them on a small area first. It is not recommended to use this method on the face.
• There are other methods, such as, using the string or sugar, but these methods are painful and can lead to skin inflammation and leave dark spots on the skin that stay for several months, causing the skin to sag.

Removing hair by laser:
Laser is considered the best way to remove unwanted hair permanently and safely. It works on minimizing the hair gradually, decreasing its growth and thinning and lightening its color. The results are faster, it is painless and can be applied on all body parts. However, it is a little expensive and needs several sessions. To get the best results, the patient is given brightening and soothing creams after the session. The patient is warned against sun-exposure at least two weeks before the laser session. Using sunscreens during the treatment period is highly recommended to avoid tanning.

Laser and dark skin:
The main problem with most laser devices is that they were made for light skin and dark hair, so the laser waves target the black hair. And if the skin is dark, the laser prefers the skin over the hair, which could lead to side effects like discoloration.
However, there is a possibility to use the laser devices for dark skin by adjusting the laser power and using treatments that prevent discoloration. Currently, there are special devices for dark skins with longer waves that penetrate the skin and reach the hair root without affecting the skin itself. What is special about these devices is that they have a wavelength of 1064 nm compared to traditional devices with a wavelength of 755 nm.
Electrolysis is an old method to remove excess hair but it is not commonly used nowadays. It tests the hair follicle electrically. This method is applied with a very fine needle that probes into each hair follicle to destroy the root. It is recommended in case there is white hair or a small number of thick hair. It is 40-60 percent possible for the removed hair to grow back. Electrolysis can leave scars on the treated area.
Recently, Vaniqa creams have become popular. The cream is used twice a day and it works by weakening the hair when used for a couple of weeks. It can also be applied after removing hair by any of the above mentioned methods to give better results.
Dr. Zaqouq said mothers must teach their daughters how to remove hair using sugar wax when they are teens. It is an affordable method but can cause ingrown hair. Small hair is not removed completely, but it gets ripped off, which leads to the growth of hair inside the skin. The sugar wax removes a thin layer of the skin with the hair during the process, that is why women who have sensitive skin suffer from allergic reactions, especially those who have eczema. The process itself is painful, and not all women can handle it. So, shaving is a substitute, but there will still be ingrown hair and allergy. Hair removal machines also give convenient results without allergies.
Laser hair removal is done in a dermatologist’s clinic. To reduce the pain of the process, the patient should remove the hair under the water, or use a medical soap during the shaving stage. This is followed by applying an antibiotic cream and an anti-inflammatory pain relief cream for four days and then applying any moisturizer to prevent itching as a result of sweating, which may cause skin inflections because of the ongoing use of brightening products.
Skin darkening in the underarms and thighs:
High discoloration in these areas is due to:
• Infections that need to be checked and treated before using any kind of lightening creams.
• Black spots.
• Obesity and hormonal disorder. You should see a dermatologist to make sure that there are no infections. Also, you should avoid sweating and wearing tight clothes.
• You can use natural lightening creams for 6-8 weeks to reach the proper shade.
• Sometimes, peeling creams are a must before the lightening process to prevent the appearance of excess hair. There are new lotions in the market that reduce hair growth, but need a medical consultation before use.

To avoid sweating and body odor:
• Avoid wearing tight cloths for a long time, which can cause an increase in heat leading to infections and changes in the color of the skin. Wear cotton clothes and avoid nylon clothes.
• Wash lingerie separately, and use a gentle product to wash at a temperature of 60 degrees and above (the proper temperature to eliminate possible forms of stubborn fungi and some germs).
• Do not borrow or use someone else’s personal towel or lingerie.
• Change your lingerie twice a day at least.

During menstruation:
• Use a good kind of medical pad that is soft and gentle on the skin.
• Change the pad periodically, for example every 3-4 hours, and after every visit to the toilet.

Full body:
• Showering with a rough soap on a regular basis ruins the skin protection layer, which results in dry and sensitive skin. It is better to use a proper soap that suits the skin.
• Do not use any chemicals and antiseptics, especially if they are strong.
• Use a suitable soap and body lotion that suits your age, and with a moderate acidity (pH7), so that it does not affect the skin’s natural acids.
• Use a medical soap that is color-free or other materials advised by the doctor.
• Wash your body well after shower. Do not overuse fragrance oils, some of those products cause redness and allergy.

In public:
• Do not touch the toilet seat before cleaning this highly sensitive area.
• Do not sit on the toilet seat after someone else used it without cleaning it with Dettol if possible, as this is the main reason behind most infections.

After laser hair removal:
• Place a cold compress for 5-10 minutes to relieve pain and redness.
• Apply cortisone cream after the compress for two days only.
• Makeup products can be used the following day after the laser session.
• After 5-15 days of the treatment, dark hair will appear on the skin surface. This is the hair that have been treated and not new hair. It can removed without any resistance by wiping the skin gently with a towel or passing it under water.
• Apply sunscreen daily for a couple of months.
—
Email: [e-mail]