Tweezing for hair removal
Tweezing or plucking
Basic facts
Description:
Metal forceps used manually to pull hairs out by the root, one or a few at a time.
Advantages:
Very useful for eyebrows or stray hairs on face.
Disadvantages:
Should not be used for nose hairs. Always trim nose hairs to avoid potnetially dangerous infections.
Can be painful.
Difficult for large areas.
May cause ingrown hairs.
May cause pitting or scarring.
Requires use of mirror.
Some areas are difficult to do yourself.
Care must be taken when shaping brows: one or two hairs can make a big difference in brow shape.
Clinical data:
None
Costs:
$2.00 - $20.00
I rarely make a wholehearted recommendation, but I feel best tweezers are made by Tweezerman. I have no connection with this company and I have not received compensation from them. Their products are really first rate, and they offer realigning and resharpening on many models.
The
Background facts
Below are some common tweezer types. I personally use wide-grip slanted ones for my eyebrows.
Government regulation:
Many states require a cosmetologist or aesthetician's license to do hair removal like tweezing.
Care Tips on Tweezers
* Clean Tweezers after each use.
* Disinfect tips of tweezers in alcohol.
* Protect the tips of tweezers with cap and keep in storage box or tube.
* Spring tension can be increased by gently pulling the two halves of the tweezer apart. Once you have increased the spring, you cannot decrease it.
* Never drop tweezers. Dropping will dull the tip and throw your tweezers out of alignment.
Five Easy Steps To Accurate Tweezing
1. Brush hair in the direction of hair growth.
2. Isolate the hair you are about to tweeze.
3. Tweeze in the direction of hair growth.
4. Pull one hair at a time.
5. Pull gently and smoothly, making sure not to yank.
Shaping Your Brows
The shape of your brow should follow the natural line of your brow bone. The arch should be highest at the outer corner of the pupil. To determine where the brow should begin, place a pencil straight up from the side of the nostril. To determine where it should end, hold the pencil diagonally against the outer corner of the eye pointing up to the brow bone. Brow should extend slightly beyond the eye at which point it should taper slightly down.
Not Sure How Much to Tweeze?
Be sure to step back from your mirror and check your brows periodically. Tweeze a few hairs from one brow and then the other so they remain symmetrical. Remember that it's better to tweeze too little than too much.
Do's and Don'ts
* Do tweeze in the direction of hair growth.
* Do open your pores with a hot washcloth to make tweezing easier.
* Do use a make-up concealer to draw your desired brow shape, then tweeze the hairs that fall below the line.
* Don't use creams or moisturizers that can cause the tweezer to slip.
* Don't tweeze nose hairs or hairs growing out of moles.
How to Keep Your Brows Looking Great Every Day of the Year
Try what make-up artists and beauty professionals use and recommend. Browmousse will keep groomed brows in place with the flick of the wand. The clear, non-sticky gel styles and conditions brows beautifully. Hypo-allergenic and fragrance-free.
I got the following on 23 May 2003
We have got your valued contacts through our reliable resources.This is submitted for your kind information that we are one of world's leading Manufacturers and Exporters of high quality Manicure, Pedicure Implements and Tweezers of a wide range.
We manufacture these products through German technology of Pakistan Stainless Steel since last thirty years very successfully under the supervision of very experienced and committed persons.
Our company is ISO 9002 / EN 46002 certified & CE Mark and GMP approved from FDA, USA which are also proof of our high quality manufacturing systems.Please we are in search of well reputed companies in your country for the marketing of our products, you are requested to please let us have a chance we assure you high quality products, most competitive prices and best services all the times.
Looking forward for your business cooperation.
Regards
For Jolly & Company
Munir Ahmed Janjua
Managing Partner
Tel: + 92 432 556134 / 556334 / 560634
Fax: + 92 432 554170 / 267634
URL: www.jolly.com.pk
P. O. BOX 1182 RORAS ROAD SIALKOT, PAKISTAN
I got the following on 13 May 2003:
We approach yet again as it is custom of our company to keep in touch with our prospective customers. It is to our delight to introduce our selves yet again as a manufacturer of surgical/dental and veterinary instruments, all types of scissors, forceps, tweezers, and beautification instruments and dissecting sets, and all types of medical hammers (percussion, reflex), instruments for electron microscopy, etc.
You can visit our web site to view our products and we would be obliged to hear your comments and inquiries. If your required instrument is not listed on our website please give us the specification and we will send you the samples for your evaluation and approval. May you require custom made instruments please also let us know in that case as well.
We hope to hear from your kind office.
Thanking you,
Muhammad Ahsan Butt.
www.samiimpex.com
Sialkot.Pakistan.
Temporary hair removal methods
Other hair removal topics
Specifics on deciding which method is best for you.
From the pros and from other consumers!
A review of the scientific literature on hair removal.
Lists of companies that make hair removal products and devices.
State and federal hair removal laws
Websites and other published material: what's good and what's not.
A discussion of this disputed term.
A list of productrs to avoid.
What you can do about it.
See also
Comparison of professional hair removal methods
Hair removal comparison charts
Methods done professionally
The methods below are offered in salons and clinics.
Disclaimer
Your experiences with a hair removal method may be completely different than the experiences of another consumer.
These comparison charts are based on published medical data and feedback from consumers and practitioners. However, because of the huge number of variables involved in hair removal, comparing can only occur on the most general level and might not reflect a specific consumer's experiences.
I make absolutely no guarantee that any method will work better or worse for you than another product.
See the intro page for more details on the disclaimer and on how to read the chart.
| Methods that can work | cost | speed | pain | lasting | skin injury | safety |
| Waxing | B- | B+ | B- | C | A- | A- |
| Threading | B- | B+ | B | C | A- | A- |
| Sugaring | B- | C | B- | C | A- | A- |
| Electrolysis | D- | D+ | D+ | A | C | B |
| Nd:YAG laser with lotion | D- | B | B- | B- | B+ | B |
| Long pulse Nd:YAG laser | D- | B | B- | B- | B | B |
| Long pulse ruby laser | D- | B+ | C | B+ | C- | B- |
| Long pulse alexandrite laser | D- | B+ | C | B+ | C | B- |
| Pulsed diode array laser | D- | B+ | D+ | B+ | C- | B- |
| Flashlamp | D- | B+ | D+ | B- | D+ | B- |
| Doubtful methods | ||||||
| Electric tweezers | D- | D+ | B+ | C | B+ | B+ |
| "Transdermal electrolysis" | D- | C | A- | C | B+ | A- |
| "Transcutaneous hair removal" | D- | C | A- | C | B+ | A- |
| Photoepilators | D- | D+ | B+ | C | B | B |
| Microwave hair removal | D- | B+ | B- | C | D+ | D+ |
Discussion:
For large areas, waxing is the fastest and cheapest option, with results lasting 3-8 weeks.
"Transdermal" and "transcutaneous" methods and photoepilators
Beauty salons sometimes offer "transdermal electrolysis" (also called "transcutaneous electrolysis"), electric tweezing, and photoepilators. These are all unproven methods and should be avoided.
This is a new method with no published clinical results. It's not allowed for facial treatment for safety and effectiveness reasons, and there is not enough data to determine how safe it is at this time.
Professional electrolysis is permanent for most consumers if done correctly, but it can be painful, slow, costly, and can cause permanent skin damage if not done properly. Also, if it's not done properly, it is not as effective. Some patients do not seem to respond to treatment. To minimize these risks, go to a certified electrologist after getting a recommendation from a client who is done and happy.
Laser and flash lamp (IPL)
Laser results vary greatly by client and by type of laser used. While some clients find laser to be a good option, there is little long-term clinical data on how long results from laser treatment will last.
Flash lamps are similar to laser, but with often higher rates of skin side effects and usually less efficacy.
As with electrolysis, laser can be painful, slow, costly, and can cause permanent skin damage if not done properly. Also, if it's not done properly, it is less effective. Many patients do not seem to respond to treatment. To minimize these risks, go to a qualified light-based practitioner after getting a recommendation from a client who is done and happy.
Charts in this section:
Comparison of hair removal methods
Hair removal comparison charts
Disclaimer
Your experiences with a hair removal method may be completely different than the experiences of another consumer.
The following is excerpted from my legal information page:
The information contained in hairfacts.com is presented for the purpose of educating consumers on hair removal topics. Nothing contained in hairfacts.com is intended to be instructional for medical diagnosis or treatment. The information should not be considered complete, nor should it be relied on to suggest a course of treatment for a particular individual.
The same method can be considered ideal by one consumer and worthless by another. One consumer might find a method painless, and another might find the same method unbearable. One might find a method is totally effective for them, and another might find it doesn't work at all.
These comparison charts are based on published medical data and feedback from consumers and practitioners. However, because of the huge number of variables involved in hair removal, comparing can only occur on the most general level and might not reflect a specific consumer's experiences.
I make absolutely no guarantee that any method will work better or worse for you than another product.
There are three comparison charts in this section:
How to read these charts
I have graded the characteristics of each type of hair removal. "A" is a good grade, "F" is a bad grade. Thus:
| Cost | inexpensive | A B C D F | very expensive |
| Speed | fast | A B C D F | very slow |
| Pain | painless | A B C D F | very painful |
| Lasting | permanent | A B C D F | very brief |
| Skin injury | impossible | A B C D F | very likely |
| Safety | very safe | A B C D F | potentially dangerous |
Here's what the grades are based on:
Comparison charts in this section:
Moll, 1995 (plucking and hair growth)
Moll, 1995
Title: Proliferative potential of different keratinocytes of plucked human hair follicles.
Authors: Moll I
Journal: J Invest Dermatol 1995 Jul;105(1):14-21
PMID: 7542296, UI: 95341018
Affiliated institution: Department of Dermatology, Mannheim Medical School, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Cited in:
We have examined colony-forming ability, localization of colony-forming cells, and in vitro life spans of outer root sheath keratinocytes of different fragments of adult human plucked hair follicles. These were shown by immunohistochemical staining for cytokeratins and integrins to contain a preserved basal cell layer. By microdissection, five fragments of the outer root sheath (B1, B2, B3-1, B3-2, B4) were separated, dispersed by trypsin into single cell suspensions, and grown on human feeder fibroblasts. All fragments gave rise to at least some colonies, but colony-forming ability was mostly marked in the intermediate part (B2) and the lower half of the central part (B3-1); approximately 60% of colony-forming cells of a hair follicle localized to the fragment B3-1 and 28% to the fragment B3-2 (upper half of the central part, including bulge). To compare the in vitro life spans of cells from the various fragments, we subcultured isolated keratinocytes under identical conditions. The longest was found in the fragment B3-2 and the shortest in the fragment B1 (bulb). Moreover, the differentiation state of the native cells and the cells of all cultures were studied during their whole life spans by immunocytochemical analysis of various proliferation and differentiation markers. Surprisingly, keratinocytes of all fragments, as shown by expression of high-molecular-weight cytokeratins and filaggrin, were capable of terminal differentiation. These data indicate that cells with long life spans are localized in central parts of the outer root sheath close to the bulge area and that cells with high colony-forming ability are localized in the lower central parts. The latter are usually removed by plucking and may therefore not represent stem cells but rather cells important for hair growth during a single cycle. Cells with long life spans--also included in plucked hair follicles--may be immediate progeny of stem cells that will be segregated in the bulge area. Finally, our results are important for gene transfer and stem cell gene therapy in genodermatoses, because plucked hair follicles are easily available and keratinocytes close to the bulge area should be used selectively.
“Scarred for Life” (laser hair removal injury)
"Scarred for Life" by laser hair removal
On February 23, 2001, the Cleveland, Ohio NBC affiliate WYKC (channel 3) aired a news segment titled "Scarred for Life," reported by Lydia Esparra. It tells the story of a local woman who sustained nearly 6,000 second-degree burn marks on her legs following a 3-hour laser hair removal procedure performed by a non-physician laser technician.
Prior to the procedure, the client was given intravenous Valium and Demerol for the pain. Although some patients find laser hair removal to be quite painful, many dermatologists claim this level of anesthesia is excessive for this type of procedure, and it also makes patient self-assessment of possible overtreatment more difficult. The anesthesia helped allow the burning to continue unnoticed until the procedure was done and the medications wore off.
Use of these devices by non-physicians is currently being reviewed by FDA due to injuries such as these.
To help protect yourself, insist on having a physician, preferably a dermatologist or plastic surgeon with lots of laser experience perform the treatment. If this is not an option, learn the qualifications of the person performing the procedure. In some states, they require no formal training of any kind. See my section on choosing a laser practitioner for more suggestions.
Finally, avoid excessive use of painkillers during the procedure. This can alert you to the fact that you are being overtreated.
Below: photos taken in the days following laser treatment. Although the discoloration faded over time, the patient was left with thousands of permanent scars on her legs.
If you have been injured in a hair removal procedure, please contact me through my feedback form.
$100 million lawsuit (laser hair removal injury)
$100 million lawsuit filed in laser hair removal burn case
A 34-year old investment banker in New York filed a lawsuit in 2001, claiming she received second- and third-degree burns on her face and neck from laser hair removal treatments at the Greenhouse Spa chain's midtown Manhattan office. She says the scarring has caused her to become a virtual recluse who doesn't date anymore and is embarrassed at her job.
"I could smell the burning, I could feel my face on fire," she said. "It was so painful, I could have screamed. I kept wondering when it would be over with." When she told the spa's beauty technician to stop because of the pain, the attendant rubbed ice on her face and "asked me if I was ready to do the other side."
She said a doctor at the spa looked in and told her to buy some salve and go home. According to the complaint filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court, she was diagnosed with serious second- and third-degree burns that plastic surgery cannot repair. She now wears coverings on her face while at work to hide the deep scarring from her laser treatments. Her complaint states she continues to experience "depressed mood, loss of confidence and self-esteem, sleep impairment, anxiety and shame over facial scars." She says she was told that the treatments were safe and conducted by trained technicians.
Use of these devices by non-physicians is currently being reviewed by FDA due to injuries such as these.
Despite claims by laser promoters that some kinds of lasers are "perfect" for darker and tanned skin, the likelihood of injury is much higher for darker skin tones.
To help protect yourself, insist on having a physician, preferably a dermatologist or plastic surgeon with lots of laser experience perform the treatment. If this is not an option, learn the qualifications of the person performing the procedure. In some states, they require no formal training of any kind. See my section on choosing a laser practitioner for more suggestions.
Finally, avoid excessive use of painkillers during the procedure. This can alert you to the fact that you are being overtreated.
Below: a photo of scarring following laser hair removal by a non-physician technician. Consumers with darker skin tones are strongly urged to rely on trained physicians once you've decided laser hair removal is worth the risk.
Let's hope she wins. I'll update this as more information becomes available. If you have been injured in a hair removal procedure, please contact me through my feedback form.
Laser hair removal burns
Burned by laser hair removal
An ideal laser candidate has light-colored skin and dark-colored hair. That's because lasers work by heating up the pigment in hair.
Lasers do not work well (or often at all) on blonde, red, or gray hairs because there is not enough pigment to heat up.
Lasers do not work well on dark or tanned skin, because the laser heats up the pigment in the skin, which can cause skin damage.
Below are examples of the injuries that can happen to non-ideal laser candidates.
This is why choosing a laser hair removal practitioner is so critical.
Dark skin and dark hair burns
I got these photos from a reader in April 2008.
Light skin and light hair burns
I got this note and photo from a reader in September 2005:
I took a picture of my face today, this is the third day after laser. It is so deep, I can't imagine that it will not scar and it is all over my face. I am not heavy, but it is so swollen now that I look huge.
Thank you for the help and your informative web site. I had no idea this could happen with laser. I had beautiful skin, just a few hairs that I didn't like... I just can't believe that this happened to me.
If you have been injured in a hair removal procedure, please contact me through my feedback form.
Laser hair removal burns
Burned by laser hair removal
This picture is 1 day after treatment.
I went to my Gynecologist for the Laser Hair Removal. I have an appointment with a Dermatologist May 9th - that was the earliest I could get in.
I still have marks on my Under Arms and Panty Line but I'm mostly concerned about my legs.
Do you think I have any recourse or is it too early to tell?
Thank you so much for your help.
I wrote back to tell her that most of them will resolve in a few months, but some of the deeper ones may leave faint permanent marks.
If you have been injured in a hair removal procedure, please contact me through my feedback form.
Yang 1993 (hair structure)
Yang, 1993
Title: Upper human hair follicle contains a subpopulation of keratinocytes with superior in vitro proliferative potential.
Authors: Yang JS, Lavker RM, Sun TT
Journal: J Invest Dermatol 1993 Nov;101(5):652-9
PMID: 8228324, UI: 94044875
Affiliated institution: Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, Kaplan Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York University Medical School, New York 10016.
Cited in:
We and others have shown previously that corneal keratinocyte stem cells can proliferate in vitro better than their progeny cells. In this paper, we applied this approach to the identification of hair follicular stem cells. When human scalp hair follicles were placed in explant culture, the bulge area yielded best outgrowths. In another experiment, we isolated different subpopulations of human follicular keratinocytes by micro-dissection, dispersed them by trypsin/EDTA into single cells, and grew them in the presence of 3T3 feeder cells. The keratinocytes were then subcultured under identical conditions to compare their in vitro life span. Our results indicate that the life span of keratinocytes of the upper follicle (containing mainly the isthmus area) > sebaceous gland > lower follicle (between the bulge and bulb) > bulb (containing the matrix cells). The cultured upper follicular keratinocytes tend to be small and relatively uniform in size. The poor in vitro growth of matrix cells may reflect their non-stem cell nature and/or special growth requirement(s) satisfied in vivo by the neighboring dermal papilla cells. Unexpectedly, we found that the upper follicular keratinocytes grow even better than epidermal keratinocytes. The existence of a subpopulation of keratinocytes with an in vitro growth potential superior than other known keratinocytes of the skin supports the hypothesis that follicular stem cells reside in the upper follicle. Our data also raise the possibility that putative follicular stem cells are involved not only in forming the follicle, but also in the long-term maintenance of the epidermis. Finally, we discuss the possibility that keratinocyte stem cells, as defined by their in vivo slow-cycling nature, are absent in culture.
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