MEN'S HEALTH MATTERS:Waxing is probably the most effective method of temporary hair removal because it does remove the hair completely, writes Thomas Lynch
Q I read your advice recently in this column with regard to the letter from the man who gets a shaving rash. I shave the hairs on my chest and get a similar rash. Can you give me any advice on other forms of hair removal?
AMen frequently choose to get rid of unwanted body hair, and there are many techniques and options available. It is usually hair from the back, shoulders, chest and abdomen that men want to have removed, and less commonly from the nose, ear and genital areas.
There are three different types of hair removal: temporary hair removal, temporary hair reduction and permanent hair removal. The best type for you depends on the area that you are treating and what the end outcome is that you desire.
The temporary hair removal techniques are the ones most people are aware of, such as shaving or chemical depilation. There are a number of commercial products specifically aimed at men for shaving or grooming body hair.
Chemical depilation, creams which cause a loss of hair, are also being produced and marketed for men.
Most of these are available in pharmacies. The benefit of these forms of treatment is that they can be done by oneself at home.
The other techniques, depending on the area to be treated, include plucking, waxing, sugaring and threading. Plucking is probably best for small areas and is usually done by hand-held tweezers. There are electrical tweezers for larger areas.
Threading is somewhat similar, predominantly used for small areas and utilises cotton thread, which is twisted along the surface of the skin, catching the hair and pulling out the roots.
Waxing is probably the most common form of hair removal used by men. There are two types - cold waxing, which can be done at home using kits available from your pharmacy, and warm waxing - which tends to be more effective, and is the type usually performed by a beautician.
Waxing is probably the most effective method of temporary hair removal because it does remove the hair completely and in large quantities. It can take three to four weeks for the hair to regrow, and in the long term repeating waxing may result in a reduction of unwanted hair.
Of course, one of the main side effects is pain, but one can also get scarring, contact allergy or, particularly in dark skins, hyper pigmentation. Sugaring is very similar to waxing, but a sugar mixture is used instead of wax.
With any form of hair removal you can get inflammation of the hair roots, called folliculitis, or ingrown hairs.
Temporary reduction in the hair growth is by laser-assisted hair removal. This removes dark hair and several treatments are usually required - the interval between treatments depends on which part of the body is being treated.
You will get hair regrowth, but it may take months rather than weeks. Similarly, the hair tends to grow back finer after a number of treatments. There is an interesting but rare phenomenon where you get an increase growth of hair in untreated areas near to the treated ones, though this is not common.
The lasers that are used include types known as Ruby, Alexandrite, or NDYag lasers or Intense Pulse Light treatments. Intense pulse light is probably the most common form used in hair removal because it is able to treat large areas quickly.
There is a cream available called Eflornithine: however, this is only licensed for treating unwanted hair on the face.
The only recognised permanent hair removal techniques would be electrolysis. This is where a small fine needle is inserted into the hair follicle and a small electrical current destroys the hair follicle.
There is a number of different ways that this is done - either where the electrical current causes a chemical reaction or it causes cauterisation of the hair root.
How effective it is depends on the skill of the person performing the electrolysis. It is a very slow process and not without pain. It is thought that about 25 per cent of the treated hairs will not regrow. This technique is usually only advised for small areas.
In your case, I think that if you do get a recurrent folliculitis from shaving your chest then laser hair removal may be the best option. Waxing would be your second option.
Most beauty salons will now offer waxing for men, and I am not aware of any laser treatment centre that doesn't treat men. It may be advisable to check beforehand, particularly if you want areas other than the upper body treated.
• This weekly column is edited by Thomas Lynch, consultant urological surgeon, St James's Hospital, Dublin with a contribution from Dr Patrick Ormond, consultant dermatologist and dermatological surgeon, St James's Hospital, Dublin