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More Bikini Wax Information
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
(Including Bikini Wax)
U. S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA Consumer
September 1996
Article
by Marian Segal
Hair where hair oughtn't be, according to the current dictates of American fashion, raises many an eyebrow.
And so, for cosmetic reasons, millions of women, and a growing number of men, spend millions of dollars each
year on products and services that promise smooth, silky skin free of "unsightly," "excessive" body hair.
For do-it-yourselfers, a variety of home-use hair removal products are available over the counter.
These include shaving creams, foams, and gels; waxes; chemical depilatories; and electrolysis devices.
Professionals at beauty and skin care salons and in dermatologists' offices provide waxing, electrolysis,
and most recently, laser treatments to remove hair. On April 3, 1995, FDA cleared the first laser for this use.
The cost, safety, effectiveness, and ease of use of the various methods, as well as the area and amount
of hair growth to be treated, are some factors to weigh in choosing a method and deciding whether to go
to a professional. Often, different methods are better suited for different areas.
FDA's Office of Cosmetics and Colors in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition regulates chemical
depilatories, waxes, and shaving creams and gels. (The Consumer Product Safety Commission regulates razors.)
These products, says John E. Bailey Jr., Ph.D., acting director of the office, are classified as cosmetics,
defined as substances applied to the body to alter the appearance, promote attractiveness, cleanse, or beautify.
The agency's Center for Devices and Radiological Health regulates electrolysis equipment and lasers.
Shaving
Shaving is by far the most common method of hair removal for both men and women.
Men have been shaving their beards and mustaches for thousands of years,
but cosmetic hair removal in women was relatively uncommon until after World War I.
Now, many American women routinely shave their legs and underarms.
A clean razor with a sharp blade is essential for a safe and comfortable shave. Skin should
never be shaved dry; wet hair is soft, pliable, and easier to cut. Contrary to what many
believe, shaving does not change the texture, color, or rate of hair growth.
Depilatories
"Depilatories act like a chemical razor blade," Bailey says. Available in gel, cream, lotion, aerosol,
and roll-on forms, they contain a highly alkaline chemical--usually calcium thioglycolate--that
dissolves the protein structure of the hair, causing it to separate easily from the skin surface.
"It's very important to carefully follow the use directions for depilatories and to do a preliminary
skin test both for allergic reaction and sensitivity," Bailey says. "Hair and skin are similar
in composition," he explains, "so chemicals that destroy the hair can also cause serious
skin irritations--possibly even chemical burns--if left on too long."
"The concentration of calcium thioglycolate is generally kept as weak as possible to avoid skin irritation,
yet strong enough to work in a reasonable amount of time," says Stanley R. Milstein, Ph.D.,
special assistant to the cosmetics and colors director. "Contact with the skin is kept to somewhere
between 4 and 15 minutes, depending on how fine or coarse the hair is."
Consumers should be sure to read the product label and select the formulation appropriate for the intended
use, because skin sensitivity varies on different parts of the body. Some depilatories are for use only on the
legs, for example, while others are safe for more sensitive areas, such as the bikini line, underarms and face.
Depilatories should not be used for the eyebrows or other areas around the eyes, or on inflamed
or broken skin. To minimize the chance of skin irritation, they should not be applied
more often than recommended on the product label.
Although cosmetics are not subject to premarket approval, FDA can take action against products that are found to cause harm.
"If we find an adverse reaction is occurring under recommended use conditions, and not because of misuse by
the consumer, we can pursue any number of actions, depending on the severity and prevalence of the problem," says Bailey.
For example, he says, "A depilatory might cause second- or third-degree burns, and possibly scarring,
if its formula is too strong or if an inactive ingredient in the product heightens its effect. In that case,
FDA may, after evaluating the problem, initiate regulatory action such as seizure or injunction against
the product or the firm to stop further manufacture."
Tweezing and Waxing
While depilatories remove hair at the skin's surface, "epilatories," such as tweezers and waxes, pluck hairs from
below the surface. Waxing and tweezing may be more painful than using a depilatory, but the results are longer
lasting. Because the hair is plucked at the root, new growth is not visible for several weeks after treatment.
Tweezing is impractical for large areas, however, because it is such a slow process.
Women mostly use tweezers for shaping eyebrows and removing facial hair.
Waxing, too, is mostly done to shape the eyebrows and remove hair on the chin and upper lip,
says Brenda Ruffner, a cosmetologist in Rockville, Md., although, she says, many women also
have their legs, underarms, and bikini line waxed.
"Men usually come in for treatment on their chest or back," Ruffner says. "I have male clients
who are bodybuilders and want their skin to look smooth for competitions. And some men are
uncomfortable with the hair on their back or are embarrassed by it," she says.
Epilatory waxes are also available over the counter for home use. They contain combinations of
waxes, such as paraffin and beeswax, oils or fats, and a resin that makes the wax adhere
to the skin. There are "hot" and "cold" waxes.
With hot waxing, a thin layer of heated wax is applied to the skin in the direction of the hair growth.
The hair becomes embedded in the wax as it cools and hardens. The wax is then pulled off quickly
in the opposite direction of the hair growth, taking the uprooted hair with it.
Cold waxes work similarly. Strips precoated with wax are pressed on the skin in the direction of the
hair growth and pulled off in the opposite direction. The strips come in different sizes for use
on the eyebrows, upper lip, chin, and bikini area.
Labeling of over-the-counter waxes cautions that these products should not be used by people with
diabetes and circulatory problems, who are particularly susceptible to infection.
Waxing--and tweezing as well--can leave the skin sore and open to infection.
Waxes should not be used over varicose veins, moles, or warts.
They should not be used on the eyelashes, inside the nose or ears, on the nipples
or genital areas, or on irritated, chapped, sunburned, or cut skin. A small area should
be tested for sensitivity or allergic reaction before treating the entire area.
Some hair removal experts recommend professional waxing for the best results.
QUACKERY TARGETS TEENS
U. S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA Consumer
February 1988, Revised April 1990
Article
HAIR: REMOVAL AND GROWTH
(Including Bikini Wax)
The only effective way to remove hair permanently is with
electrolysis a process by which hair roots are destroyed with
an
electrified needle. Electrolysis should only be performed by a physician
or professional ectrologist, according
to the American Medical
Association (AMA). While it is safe when done correctly, it can be
tedious,
painful and expensive, the AMA adds. Scarring may result and regrowth is possible.
Effective means of temporarily removing hair include shaving,
tweezing, waxing, and using cream or
lotion depilatories. But FDA
cautions that there is no risk-free method of removing hair.
Waxing for
example can be painful, and creams can cause rashes and swelling.
There is limited good news about removing hair, however. According to
the AMA hair
removal does not make renewed growth thicker or stiffer,
nor does it quicken regrowth.
While girls struggle to remove hair, some teenage boys worry that
they won't be able to keep theirs.
Since most baldness is hereditary,
young men may take a look at their long-since bald fathers and
fear that
they will soon be watching the tops of their heads get smoother. There's
currently
no solution to this dilemma, a fact that bothers quacks not at
all. The health fraud artists are ready
with a variety of cures for
baldness and their intended victims include those worried youngsters.
The would be hair restorers are trafficking these days in a drug that
has shown some ability to stimulate hair growth.
That drug is minoxidil,
which is used to treat high blood pressure. Publicity about the
prescription drug's link to hair
growth has laid just enough ground work
for the quacks to capitalize on. However minoxidil has yet to be
approved
by FDA for growing hair. So there remains no product available
that will grow hair, despite quack ads to the contrary.
U. S. Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville MD 20857-0001
1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)
FDA Home Page
Keep these products out of reach of children. ;
Keep these products out of the eyes and mucous membranes.
These products are not intended for internal use.
Discontinue usage of any product if you develop a rash or other
irritation.
Contact your medical provider if the condition persists.
The information on this web site has not been evaluated by the
Food And Drug Administration.
If you have any medical concerns or conditions we recommend that
you consult with your Doctor or medical provider
before starting any waxing regimen or using any of the products
listed on this website.
These products are marketed to enhance general well being, and are
not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Any information, claim or opinion obtained and or given from this
web site or company
should not be taken as medical advice for any reason.
GiGi Logo(s) are a trademark of American International Industries.
Action Tanning Supply, LLC. is not affiliated with GiGi® or American
International Industries other than distribution of their products.
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