Hair Removal:  Is It Really Necessary?

History Of Hair Removal

The ancient Egyptians started to hair removal body hair to avoid fleas, ticks, and parasites from sticking onto their bodies. Insecticides had not been invented yet so this was reason enough for the people at that time to get rid of body hair. Archaeological evidence showed that string, tweezers, sugar, wax and even razors were used for hair removal during ancient times. The Greeks equated smooth skin with being civilized and the Romans and Sumerians, both men and women alike, used different hair removal methods to remove unwanted hair. In the past, patients were required to shave before they could be operated on for hygiene reasons but they now found out that is was counterproductive so hair removal is no longer practiced before surgery.

The practice of hair removal for women became a trend after a famous fashion magazine published for the first time in the history of print media, a picture of a model wearing a sleeveless evening gown, showing off her bare shoulders and underarms. It came as a shock at first but eventually caught on and became a trend especially with the help of an executive of an American company which was the first company to advertise campaigns for hair removal and consequently convinced women that underarm hair was unhygienic and unfeminine. As a result, underarm shaving became popular and even before World War I, razors were in demand. During the Second World War, there was a shortage of silk stockings so women decided to shave their legs and use makeup to make it look like they were still wearing stocking. It is still fashion that persuades the women of today to use different hair removal methods in order for them to have smooth and hairless skin as the hemline of their skirts rises.

Reasons For Hair Removal

You may think that the only reason why men and women use hair removal products is due to aesthetics. However, numerous reasons have contributed to this practice. One important motivation would be a medical condition called trichiasis which is the growth of ingrown eyelashes. It is necessary that the ingrown hair be removed to avoid scratching the eye. Hypertrichosis is another ailment suffered by a person who grows hair excessively in comparison to others of the same age and gender. People who have cancer might need to shave their hair off before or during chemotherapy because one of the side effects of this treatment is irregular hair loss.

Gender reassignment from a male to a female might be another motivation why people go through hair removal. Before a transsexual goes through the Genital Reassignment Surgery from male to female, he must remove facial beard hair either by electrolysis or laser, or by using both procedures. Other surgeons also recommend that some of the hair in the pubic area be removed by electrolysis because the surgeon will use the existing penis skin and part of scrotum to make a vagina. Different people may have different reasons for getting their hair removal but one thing is for sure, hair removal practices are here to stay.

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