What I mean is, is it necessary to remove armpit hair?

Review expert: Zhang Yuhong Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University

Chief Physician of Dermatology

The weather is getting hotter and hotter. Walking on the street, many people have changed into cool short-sleeved shorts and girls have also put on camisole tops, which are very cool. However, for some women, wearing camisole tops is very embarrassing, because when they raise their hands, they will see the armpit hair under their armpits...

Source: unsplash

There are many tips on the market for removing armpit hair, but after trying them, you will find that these methods are only temporary solutions and not permanent solutions! If you don’t take care of them for a period of time, armpit hair will continue to grow again.

Why is it that although head hair will fall off automatically if you don’t pull it out, armpit hair is so tough?

Why do we grow armpit hair?

There are two types of human hair, terminal hair and vellus hair . Vellus hair is lighter in color and thinner in shape, distributed on our face, trunk and limbs, while terminal hair is darker in color and thicker in shape, mainly distributed on the scalp, some areas of the face (eyebrows, eyelashes, beard), armpits and other parts.

From a classification point of view, armpit hair is a type of terminal hair . Its main function is to protect our underarm skin, reduce its friction with the surrounding skin, and avoid the invasion of various bacteria and dust.

Source: Baidu Encyclopedia

Everyone has armpit hair, but some people have very dense armpit hair while others have very sparse armpit hair. Why is that?

In fact, the growth of armpit hair is affected by many factors, including genetic factors, endocrine, gender, etc. Armpit hair is a manifestation of the secondary sexual characteristics of the human body. From the perspective of gender, men have more body hair than women due to the high secretion of androgen. If some people's parents have abundant body hair, then they are likely to inherit the corresponding genes and have much longer body hair. In addition, some endocrine diseases such as Turner's syndrome and gonadal dysgenesis will cause patients to secrete less hair, and some diseases such as polycystic ovary syndrome will cause patients to secrete more body hair.

In general, there is no decisive factor for having too much or too little body hair. If you find that you may have too much or too little body hair due to endocrine abnormalities, you can go to the hospital for treatment.

How to remove armpit hair?

To remove armpit hair, you need to take the correct method. Some people choose to pluck out the armpit hair directly, but because the skin under the armpit is relatively delicate, plucking the hair directly can easily increase the risk of folliculitis, so this method of hair removal is not recommended.

Source: pixabay

Common hair removal methods also include manual shaving, chemical hair removal and laser hair removal.

Manual shaving is just like cutting hair, but armpit hair grows very quickly and will regenerate within a few days, necessitating re-shaving. When using it, you can first apply shower gel or lotion to lubricate it to avoid scratching the skin. In addition, this hair removal method cannot completely shave the base of the hair, and it is easy to experience the strange experience of "hair pricking".

Chemical hair removal is the use of depilatory creams. The main ingredient of depilatory creams is calcium thioglycolate. Applying it to the skin under the armpits can soften the hair and make it easier to remove. This method of hair removal is easy to operate, but the effect is not long-lasting, generally lasting 2-3 weeks. In addition, chemical depilatories are corrosive and prone to allergic risks. Allergy tests should be performed before use.

Source: Baidu Encyclopedia

Finally, there is laser hair removal , which has been loved by many consumers in recent years. The principle of laser hair removal is to use the specific and selective effects of laser light and heat to act on the skin. The laser penetrates the dermis, and the light of a specific wavelength reaches the melanin. After the melanin absorbs the energy, it generates heat, thereby destroying the hair follicle structure and achieving the effect of permanent hair removal.

Source: Baidu Encyclopedia

Existing laser hair removal is divided into two categories: medical and home use. Medical laser hair removal has a more obvious effect, but it needs to be performed in a regular hospital and is expensive; while home use laser hair removal devices are more convenient to use, but the effect is inferior to medical ones, and they can only damage hair follicle cells, but cannot completely remove hair, and need to be used for a long time.

Does shaving your armpits reduce sweating?

Regarding armpit hair removal, some friends may worry about the "side effects" of hair removal, such as whether hair removal will affect sweating?

The answer is no . The human body perspires through sweat glands, and armpit hair removal mainly acts on the hair follicles in the armpit skin, and does not harm the hair follicles. Moreover, sweat glands and hair follicles are two independent tissues and do not affect each other. Therefore, armpit hair removal will not affect the normal perspiration of the human body.

The claim that "removing armpit hair affects sweating and prevents the skin from detoxifying" is even more absurd. First of all, most of the metabolites and waste produced by our body are eliminated through the kidneys and have nothing to do with sweat glands. Secondly, the main component of sweat is water, and it also contains a small amount of salt, lactic acid and other substances. How can it be called "toxins"?

Sweat source｜unsplash

Some people also believe that after each hair removal, the newly grown armpit hair will become harder. In fact, this is an illusion. The roots of the newly grown armpit hair are thicker and feel very hard when touched . After a few days, the armpit hair will grow longer and become curved. The ends of the hair will be thinner and will not feel "prickly".

Generally speaking, armpit hair can protect the human body to a certain extent . However, if you think armpit hair is not very elegant, you can remove it. Armpit hair is just one of the many types of hair on the human body. Whether to remove it is a personal choice. You don't need to do something against your will because of the outside world's eyes. You are the one who decides your armpit hair.