Plucking can actually damage the hair follicle causing it to send a message that there's no real need for it to produce hair in this area. The result? Potential bald spots. It can also ruin the texture of your hair and is not a permanent fix.
Pros: Tweezing is useful for shaping eyebrows and removing stray hairs on the face and body. Cons: Besides being a slow and painful option, tweezing can break the hair instead of pulling it out, which can cause thicker regrowth. Also, there's a risk of infection if the tweezers are not properly sterilized.
If you've only got one stray hair causing you grief, tweezing it is probably the best option, but if you are looking to cover more ground, and waxing your eyebrows makes you see stars, you're likely better off shaving because plucking can be painful (via Makeup and Beauty).
However, repeated ripping of the hair from its follicle via waxing or plucking (which is essentially the same thing, when you think about it) will make hair grow back thicker, darker and coarser… and frequently, more plentiful and faster to re-grow.
“When done correctly, plucking removes the entire hair from the follicle, keeping it from growing back for up to 6 weeks. If you tweeze with skill in an area such as the eyebrows, it can give you more control than waxing,” Gonzalez says.
In biological terms, hair follicle looks like a tunnel-shaped structure situated in the epidermis (outer layer of the skin) [2]. Hair growth starts at the bottom of the hair follicle. The root of your hair is made up of protein (keratin) [3] and derives its nutrition by blood from the blood vessels on the skin.
If you have some noticeable hairs on your upper lip, chin or around your eyebrows, waxing is probably going to be the most efficient solution for removing several hairs at once, but if you have sensitive skin, or you only have a facial hair or two to remove, tweezing your facial hair is totally acceptable.
Tweezing. It's a little time-consuming and can be painful, but tweezing your pubes is a low-risk way to get rid of stray curlies along the bikini line. According to Dr. White, this method plucks hair out at the root without irritating the skin (the way waxing or a depilatory can).
"Every time that hair is torn out of the sheath, there's a little membrane round the hair, and it will damage it and it will grow back thinner." Because your hair will grow back thinner whenever you pluck, if you get a little bit over-excited with the tweezers — or have in the past — you'll likely find it more ...
Whether you always tweeze your own brows, or only touch-up in between professional shaping appointments, you've probably found that it can be a little painful. Especially when plucking those hairs closer to the eyes — I'll admit I've teared up on occasion.
Here are some tips to tweeze safely.
If this happens, don't try to dig out the partially tweezed hair, as this can cause skin irritation or infection. It can also result in an ingrown hair. To tweeze effectively, always use sterilized tweezers that are also not dull or unaligned.
Shaving or plucking underarm hair too often may cause dark underarms, so moisturizing can be helpful to reduce underarm irritation. Always use a soap or shaving foam before shaving, and choose one for sensitive skin.
Experts think the urge to pull hair happens because the brain's chemical signals (called neurotransmitters) don't work properly. This creates the irresistible urges that lead people to pull their hair. Pulling the hair gives the person a feeling of relief or satisfaction.
Hairs have a follicular bulb that has a blood supply, so you might also see a bit of blood if you pull a hair and it comes out with the bulb still attached to it.
Also known simply as "plucking," tweezing removes hair from the follicle and usually lasts anywhere from two to six weeks depending on the thickness and rate of your hair growth.
People can use tweezers to remove hair from their upper lip. Tweezing removes one hair at a time by pulling it up from the root, so this method is suitable for small areas of hair removal, such as the upper lip.
Plucking can hurt, especially if a lot of hairs are removed. Using hot wax can burn your skin. Chemicals that dissolve hair often smell bad and can cause allergic skin reactions. Electrolysis hurts and in some people can cause thick scars (called keloids).
If you pull out a hair by your root, for whatever reason, relax and know that in most cases, your hair will grow back. It may take a little longer, but you should see your hair return. If you have a condition, such as trichotillomania, and repeated hair pulling has damaged your follicle, you may have to wait longer.
Hair may appear thin, but you likely won't go completely bald. This condition is fully reversible. Once the triggering event is treated (or you recover from your illness), your hair may start growing back after 6 months. However, this type of hair loss can last for years in some people.
However, there's no need to worry, as it's virtually impossible to pull out a hair follicle. Hair will typically grow back just as it was before unless it was from a follicle that has stopped producing hair. A hair follicle is a permanent part of the skin situated in the epidermis, or the skin's top layer.
Dr. Kraleti doesn't recommend plucking or pulling the hairs out. “If there is a gray hair you must get rid of, very carefully cut it off. Plucking can traumatize the hair follicle, and repeated trauma to any follicle can cause infection, scar formation or possibly lead to bald patches.”