The growth of hair on the human body is not as simple as it may first seem.
So that you can fully understand the options available to you for hair removal, we have attempted here to explain all you need to know about hair growth.

Each hair grows from a structure in the skin called a pilosebaceous unit otherwise known as a hair follicle.

At the very bottom of the follicle is the dermal papilla containing a group of germination cells from which the growth of all hair begins.  Each individual hair follicle has its own cycle of growing, falling out and resting. Humans are constantly shedding hair from all over the body. From 25 to 50 scalp hairs are shed every day. The lifetime of a hair varies a great deal among the various body areas and will differ from person to person. Lashes and brows may last 4 to 5 months, a scalp hair may average 2 to 4 years, but on some people may last up to 7 years.

The worse scenario is there can be as many as 500 hair follicles or more per square centimeter of skin, but only 10% (or 50) may actually be growing at any one time. For this reason you may actually have more hair in the area you wish to be treated than you ever realized, particularly if you have been plucking on a regular basis. If you pluck your hair today it will take 6 to 12 weeks for it to appear on the surface again. It is physically impossible for it to appear sooner. So you will see, that hair that you might have thought was growing back two weeks after treatment with waxing or with other methods, was in fact a hair from another follicle.
 
The stages of the growth cycle are important when considering permanent hair reduction, because many methods rely on the hair being in the anagen phase of hair growth to allow the most successful treatment.

ANAGEN -This is a period of active growth. The base of the hair follicle grows down to the blood supply in the deepest layer of the skin, which supplies the nutrients to the growing new hair. At the same time the new hair begins to grow to the surface. When it becomes pigmented with melanin in the skin it can be treated.
The anagen phase is not completed until the hair has reached its full potential length. This can take weeks or as long as a few years. This is the best time for the hair to be treated, when the hair follicle is at it’s most vulnerable.

CATAGEN - During the catagen phase the growth process stops and the hair prepares to fall out. The lower part of the follicle disconnects from the dermal papilla, and begins to degenerate. The length of this stage may vary considerably but mat be as short as a few days.

TELOGEN - This is the period of rest following  catagen. This stage varies widely in length, according to the type of hair and the nature of the individual. It can be up to several years. Hairs in this stage are always very difficult to remove.

WHAT STIMULATES NEW HAIR GROWTH?

There are many factors that influence the growth of normal hair. Some factors may make the hair growth excessive and others make the hair fall out. The primary influencing factor, as in many things is heredity. The growth patterns of hair on our bodies is most likely to follow that of our parents. Often medications can alter hair growth as well as changes in hormone levels brought on by pregnancy, menopause, and medical problems. Stress will also play an important role.

As we age the hair patterns on our body change, part of this is due to hormone influence and partly the aging process changing the way the hair follicles themselves behave. Hair growth changes are quite obvious at puberty, and at the menopause in women. At menopause, hair will start to gradually thin in areas such as the underarms and legs, but facial hair may start to develop.

Some hormones seem to have the capacity to initiate hair growth where there previously was none. They stir to life certain cells near the sebaceous glands of the philosebaceous unit. These hair germ cells need only to be turned on by the chemical action of the hormone.

An increase in blood supply to an area can increase hair growth, as if hairs were being “fertilized”. The hair follicle tends to grow deeper and become coarser. This will not create new hairs, but it will change very fine hairs to much coarser, darker hairs.

 GETTING RID OF YOUR HAIR

For centuries people across all cultures have tried numerous methods to remove hair from their bodies. Today we can not only simply remove the hair but also have the choice of methods to destroy the hair bulb to reduce hair growth permanently such as electrolysis and laser treatments.

Shaving
Shaving can be performed mechanically by a razor or chemically with depilatory creams. It cuts the hair at the level of the skin. Shaving is an effective method for quickly removing hair, but the hair will return almost immediately. It does not inhibit the hair growth in any way and the hair will now grow with a sharp end giving a bristle effect. Shaving does not alter the hair follicle, so it cannot make the hair worse, as is commonly believed.

Tweezing
This removes the hair and the hair root. It is generally not recommended. It does not inhibit hair growth, but it is thought to sometimes stimulate the follicle to become stronger and deeper, thereby producing a darker and coarser hair. As we already know, it takes 6 to 12 weeks for the tweezed hair to return.

Waxing
This is really tweezing en mass. It is effective for treating large areas of hair such as legs and bikini lines. Some people do find waxing quite uncomfortable, but most find the discomfort tolerable and become used to it. ( A number of clients have used other systems in the past and find light based treatments less uncomfortable).

The hair grows back with tapered ends. There are some considerations to be made when waxing is done by a clinic. Good hygiene is essential as bacteria can breed in depilatory wax. There is now a system that has been developed in New Zealand to ensure an excellent standard of hygiene and efficiency. This system uses disposable applicators rather than spatulas or roll –ons, so there is absolutely no risk of cross contamination between clients.

Electrolysis
This has been a long developed way to achieve hair follicle destruction. By placing a fine disposable needle down the shaft of the hair to the tip of the hair bulb and applying an electrical current, the energy changes to heat and selectively burns the follicle and hair germinating cells. By using a blend of currents, including a galvanic current, it is possible to create a flow of a caustic dye at the base of the follicle. This chemical process can also aid destruction of the hair germinating cells. This is a good and proven method of permanent hair reduction but has the disadvantages of being too uncomfortable for some people. It is also a very tedious process in covering large areas and the results are very dependent on the skill of the operator.

PERMANENT HAIR  REDUCTION

Lasers have of course also been used to destroy port wine stains, tattoos, thread veins and other pigmented lesions whilst inflicting limited damage on the surrounding skin. This is possible as the wavelength of light targets a single pigment in the skin such as melanin, haemoglobin or ink. The light is selectively absorbed by the target structure only, leaving the other skin componants in tact. Lasers used for hair removal target the dark pigment of the hair and cells around the hair follicle. The pigment is at it’s darkest whilst the hair is in it’s anagen or growing phase. A beam of laser light of around 10mm in diameter will destroy many hairs in that area in one flash. Many published research papers show excellent permanent reduction in hair growth following laser treatments on un-wanted facial and body hair.