Nerve photo (Schuster, 1992) Ever wonder why hair removal hurts so much? Here's why! Look
at all those nerves in this microscopic photo of a hair root!
The reason tweezing, waxing, laser, and electrolysis are sometimes
painful is because each hair has a bundle of nerves surrounding
the lower follicle. Plucking a hair tears the tissue near the
root, which can set off pain sensation in these nerves. The energy
required to remove hairs with laser and electrolysis can also
cause these nerves to register pain.
The reason so-called "painless" methods such as electric
tweezers and "transdermal" methods do not usually hurt
as much is because they do not deliver enough energy into the
follicle to cause lasting damage, or even to stimulate the nerves
in the area.
For more on hair removal pain and ways to deal with it, check
out my section on  hair removal pain
management.
Slide courtesy of James Schuster, M.D. Reprinted with permission.
Dr. Schuster is a Wisconsin dermatologist who has prepared several
videos and slide presentations on hair removal. Dr. Schuster performed
several controlled electric tweezer
studies to demonstrate that the devices cannot perform as
claimed.
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