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Cosmetic Products, Electrolysis, Uncategorized

Ingrown hairs – What They Are, and How to Get Rid of Them

2019-01-17

Ingrown hairs are one of life’s small, but persistent annoyances which we would gladly do without. But to go about this, one would have to first know what we are dealing with. For knowing is half the battle, right?

So hair becomes “ingrown” when it bends and grows back inside the skin instead of piercing it. Redness can appear on the surface and then a rash, often accompanied with discomfort, or even pain.

How to prevent ingrown hairs?

Anybody with hair on their body will experience is subject to ingrown, renegade hairs.  That being said, those with thicker skins or more abundant hair growth are particularly at risk. In that sense, skin that is regularly exfoliated (say, once a week), either with an exfoliating glove or cream is less prone to developing ingrown hairs. Indeed, dead cells that accumulate at the surface of the epidermis act as a barrier, preventing hair from getting through.

Ingrown hairs can appear on any part of the body where hairs do grow. That being said, they appear more frequently on zones which are subject to repeated shaving, and even more when improper technique is used. Here are a few guidelines:

  • Switch to single blade or safety razors. Multi-blade razors cut the hair below the skin, which may disrupt normal growth
  • Wet the skin and apply shaving cream prior to shaving
  • Make sure you do as few passes as possible with your blade as possible in order to prevent bending the hairs towards the surface of the skin
  • Never shave against the grain (against the hair growth)

No hair, no problem!

Ditching the razor, then, goes a long way towards preventing the appearance of ingrown hairs on your body.  In that case, alternatives have to be found. Waxing is a fine solution, but then, so is a more permanent solution like electrolysis, which has the obvious benefit of freeing you totally from the issueof ingrown hairs. No hair, no problem!

Aesthetics, Electrolysis, Uncategorized

What Greek Mythology (!) Can Teach Us About Hair Removal

2018-12-21

Hair Removal and Sisyphus’s Rock

Do you know the Greek myth of Sisyphus? After a life spent cheating the gods of Olympus, Sisyphus is sentenced to eternally haul a heavy rock up a mountain. Yet once he reaches the top, the rock always tumbles down the other side, forcing the hapless hero to start the journey all over again, and again, and again. Think Groundhog Day, minus the laughs.

And What Does Hair Removal Have to Do With This?

Bear with me. I’m sure you’ll see from the aforementioned story how this brings me naturally to think about our personal grooming habits. While there certainly are some rituals we look forward to (I personally can’t go without my morning shower), most are simply thankless chores. Do you know of anybody who relishes in shaving their legs or armpits? Neither can I.

Nowadays, thanks to the leaps and bounds by which epilation-related technologies have evolved, there simply is no proper reason to stick with highly inefficient temporary solutions. Indeed, modern computer assisted hair removal allows for the precise targeting of the hair’s growth cells to destroy them without affecting the skin.

Permanent Hair Removal: Economical as Well as Ecological

A permanent solution does not only prevent you from wasting your time, but it also makes economic sense. A Chinese proverb says: “buy the best and you only cry once”. To which, Arab wisdom adds that “the poor man pays twofold”. Sure, your shaving cream does cost less than a full-fledged professional hair removal treatment protocol. But once you scale the costs over a lifetime, the tables turn quite dramatically indeed. Also, what do we do with all those products: lotions, pre-shave and aftershave gels, and attendant shaving paraphernalia once we are done with them. We throw them away, obviously… Who said that being conscious of our environmental impact was necessarily bad news for our checkbook?

Living With the Times

Hair removal is by no means a new procedure. But techniques have gone a long, long way from traditional temporary techniques that our ancestors relied upon. Why stick around that mountain, all Sisyphus-like? Leave that rock of yours at the bottom of the slope, along with your shaving supplies. No need to bother with those anymore, since better solutions are now within your reach…

Curious to know more? http://www.dectro.com/en/electrolysis-machine

Electrolysis, Photoepilation

Hair Removal for Men – What Are My Options?

2018-11-16

Hair Removal au masculin: A Quick Guide

To some, putting “men” and “hair removal” in the same sentence might seem slightly odd. Yet it is hard to argue against the fact that masculine epilation has now gone mainstream. Indeed, more and more men are deciding nowadays to have their body and/or facial hair partially or completely removed, be it for aesthetic reasons, or say, to provide a performance advantage in sports. Whatever the motivations behind such a decision, there are many options available on the market, yet only a select few really are suitable for men’s specific needs. Let’s go through them, then, shall we?

Right out of the gate, one would be hard pressed to recommend any type of temporary solution, other than one’s usual shaving regimen. Waxing, for one, should be taken out of the equation. First, the elephant in the room: the discomfort such a procedure entails. This issue is especially acute for men, as pain increases in proportion to the density of hair growth.  Then factor in the fact that such quasi-torture will have to be repeated indefinitely in the future, and at fairly frequent intervals, at that, and you’ll quickly understand why this is a no-go. But what about hair remover lotions, I hear you ask? Those too, arguably, are best treated with caution. Notwithstanding their patchy record of effectiveness, such products are by nature irritant – hence the high risk of causing undesirable skin reactions, especially if used on a regular basis.

But If You’re Serious About Hair Removal

Gentlemen, let’s be honest. Long term solutions where it’s at if you’re serious about getting rid of those unwanted hairs. And in any case, wouldn’t you want to take care of the issue once and for all?

The real choice, then, will be between photoepilation (IPL or laser), or electroepilation (AKA electrolysis). At first, photoepilation might seem to be the obvious path. For both IPL (which stands for “Intense Pulsed Light”) and laser can be used to treat large zones efficiently and quickly, which pays off when dealing with wider surfaces that exhibit a high density of hair growth (back, torso, legs). However, such techniques are not appropriate in certain other situations, such as when dealing with pale (or white) hairs, or darker skins. Specific areas of the body like eyebrows or… rather more intimate locations, shall we say, demand a more considered approach.

Electrolysis to the rescue

For those situations, electrolysis comes to the rescue. Indeed, this technique allows for a more targeted approach (as each hair is destroyed individually), which obviously comes at the price of speed (though a good operator will mitigate that difference significantly). In fact, Dectro’s Apilus xCell electrolysis device also boasts specific programs for men, whose hairs are bigger and hardier, which makes for an even more efficient (and attractive) treatment. Add the fact that electrolysis is the only treatment that will lead to total elimination of hair; laser or IPL will only lead to a reduction of pilosity (roughly 80%). Obviously, a trained specialist will be able to guide you and orient you towards the treatment that is more suited to your particular condition. For when it comes to hair removal, whether you are male or female, there simply is no room for improvisation; one is always better off getting help from professionals.

 

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