There are many ways to remove unwanted hair aside from shaving.
Tweezing or plucking
Probably the most common way to remove unwanted hair aside from shaving, but it can lead to irritation of the hair follicles (folliculitis), and especially in more darkly pigmented skin lead to increased pigmentation around the hair follicle and in rare instances lead to scarring.
Depilatory creams
Depilatory creams and lotions chemically remove hair, and can work quite well; although they can be quite irritating, especially if used on the face.
Waxing
One of the most popular solutions to unwanted hair. It is commonly used to treat eyebrows and even very large areas like the legs. People have to be careful if waxing over areas where Retin-A cream, alpha-hydroxy acids (like glycolic acid), or facial treatments like peels have been performed, as the skin can be sensitive and the surface can peel-off when being waxed. One disadvantage of waxing is that results last from 2-6 weeks, and so it is not a long-term solution. In addition, hair has to be allowed to grow long enough to be ‘captured’ by the wax, which can be unacceptable cosmetically, and bumps or irritation can appear post-waxing as well.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis uses low-level electric current to produce a chemical reaction in hair follicles that kills the stem cells, thus eliminating the hair. The benefit of electrolysis is that it is permanent in the hair that is effectively treated, often requiring no maintenance treatments. Potential disadvantages are irritation after treatment leading to bumps and rarely scarring at treated sites, and the inability to realistically treat very large areas such as the legs or back. Electrolysis is ideal for small areas of isolated hair growth, or for any areas with blond, white or gray hair as laser hair removal does not work on light or white hair.
Can shaving or waxing cause hair growth?
Normally we shave the hair before performing laser hair removal. Often people worry about shaving hair because they believe it can cause hair to grow more. Inflammation, such as after an area has surgery or after minor traumas to the skin (like shaving) can cause a temporary increase in hair to a given area. It’s rare for this to happen, and is ALWAYS temporary. This is because the living and growing part of the hair follicle is BELOW the surface of the skin. The hair itself is not alive or composed of living cells. So shaving before laser hair removal is okay and necessary, because the part of the hair and follicle targeted by laser is beneath the surface of the skin. If hair isn’t shaved before laser treatment, the laser will heat the part of the hair sitting on top of the skin, and this can burn the skin. In addition, if hair is thick, the laser light won’t be able to penetrate to the deeper layers of the skin where the stem cells reside. Having laser light reach the area with the stem cells is necessary for laser hair removal to work.