Why Is It So Hard to Kill A Hair Follicle?

Hello doctors. Thank you for the very informative blog! I have two questions.

First, why is hair so hard to get rid of hair on the body? There are lasers, waxing, and numerous other methods to remove hair. However, hair seems so resilient.

Second, I noted on this blog several times that if a hair is pulled enough times, eventually it stops coming back. What is the exact cause for the hair to die after being pulled out numerous times?

Thanks you for your time!

It’s a cruel joke by our creator. If you want the hair removed, it is very difficult. If you want the hair replaced it is also very difficult.

It is difficult to permanently remove, kill the hair because you need to ablate the hair follicle all the way down to its full depth of between 5-8mm. Merely pulling out the hair or zapping it with a laser is not enough particularly on body hair where most of the hair that is in the skin is in its telogen phase and therefore does not show. Lasers work by delivering heat / light energy to a hair root that is dark thus damaging the follicle cells that generate hair. But if the hair is in its telogen (resting) phase, it will not be present to treat it. Too much heat will cause burns on the skin (especially if you have dark skin). So it is not an easy one step task particularly on body hair.

If you pull the hair enough times, each pull causes incremental damage (trauma) to the follicle and it will eventually cause the follicle not to produce hair.