ABSTRACT
Hair removal is an important hygiene undertaking with both social and religious underpinnings. For example, Roman soldiers shaved all body hair prior to entering a battle as part of their worthiness for combat. Women shave their legs and underarms in western culture as it is felt that women should be devoid of terminal body hair for physical attractiveness. Men, on the other hand, sport chest hair in Mediterranean culture as a sign of virility while the present trend among young men in the U.S.A. is for shaving of chest and pubic hair. No single method of hair removal is appropriate for all body locations and all circumstances, thus there are several methods of hair removal that are presently available. Chapter 33 presented a discussion of wet shaving with a razor and this chapter discusses the remaining hair removal techniques that can be used for basic grooming and also for the cosmetic treatment of hirsutism. The various methods of hair removal are summarized in Table 32.1 . Methods discussed include dry shaving, plucking, epilating, waxing, hair-removing gloves, abrasives, threading, chemical depilatories, electrolysis, and laser hair removal.
