A new study recently published in the international research database Springer Nature reveals a fact that quite a few parents deny: A higher rate of objectification (viewing the body as an object) among adolescent girls leads to their desire for more frequent and earlier hair removal. The study, which included 936 American adolescents aged 10–18, points to various data that the computerized system on the Beauty Tech network of Yaffa Maximov in Israel also reports; hair is a central concern among girls and women, long before modern skincare routines or improving skin quality. The social pressure surrounding it is not imaginary.
“Mom, you don’t understand – I’m the only one in the class who hasn’t done laser yet.” A familiar conversation in quite a few homes in Israel, usually around adolescence, but we have already encountered cases of even younger girls. In conversations before entering a dance class, in swimming lessons or in beach locker rooms, in groups with friends and even during recess, there is high awareness of the presence of body and facial hair alongside comparison between friends and the desire for a very specific ideal.
But is “everyone does it” really the reality?
Let’s be precise about the facts. “Everyone does laser” is a typical adolescent exaggeration, in their words, even if it feels completely real. In practice, the average age to start hair removal treatments usually ranges between 13–17, although we witness on the network several hundred exceptional cases in which girls arrive at much earlier ages to address issues of excessive hair growth at an unusual age.
Alongside these, there are also differences between the various age groups and the areas that bother each age. But the question that should be asked here is not “does everyone do it?” but what is right for that adolescent, alongside her data, the timing at which she wants to begin the process, and for the right reasons. Always.
When girls come to us requesting hair removal, the first questions asked gently are about her motivation: Does it stem from her own discomfort or from external pressure? Does the problem exist only in her eyes or is there indeed a need for a hair removal process in the area in question? There are cases that arrive due to a physiological issue, such as hirsutism (excess hair in non-typical areas), which usually indicates hormonal imbalance and already requires intervention through medical tests. Likewise, there are many more cases involving the need of women and girls to remove excess hair in the literal sense. But yes, in centers like these, where women work and most of the patients are women, there is a more sensitive and broader perspective on whether there are also issues of body image and self-confidence.
A proper medical profile
The human body during adolescence, mainly women but not only, is still at the peak of development. There is a hormonal system that is far from stable, the changes occurring in it are like a storm, and the most hormonal area in terms of hair growth is the face. Therefore, the correct professional approach is not to start before the age of 16 in order not to confront and worsen the imbalance in a hormonal system affected by many changes, but rather to exercise patience when it comes to devices. The mustache area can be removed earlier, as it is considered an androgenic area.
The impact of the hormonal system among adolescents causes hair removal results not always to be predictable or coordinated in advance. Unlike adults, for whom it is possible to plan a fairly clear treatment protocol, among girls there are more surprises; new hair follicles, areas that respond differently, and the need for follow-up treatments at varying frequencies, or for adjusting different devices and intensities. Among girls with a background of PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), which affects 5–15% of women of reproductive age and sometimes causes hirsutism. In such cases, hair removal is only part of the solution, and parallel medical accompaniment should be considered.
Choosing correctly (the technology)
Not every treatment is suitable for every age. First, it is important to understand the difference between laser and IPL, the significance of the intensity and frequency of treatments, and above all; to make sure that the therapist is experienced in working with adolescents. It is not the same as treating an adult, and today there are various technologies suitable for different hair types and different sensitivities.
In recent years, there has been significant progress in the development of technologies specifically adapted for sensitive areas of the face and body and for finer hair types with greater complexity. These are research-based technologies that have been found uniquely suitable for treating female facial hair removal using multi-wavelength laser developed especially for this purpose. The technology allows more precise control of energy and higher safety. Even for those who chose to purchase home hair removal devices, it is important to know that their intensities are not suitable for removal of every type, and that promises of suitability for the entire population are lacking.
In the female population – what matters is the overall feeling and not the act of removal. Time and again, the claim is proven that the real gain does not lie in the hair removal itself, but in the mental release from bondage and the fear of behaving ‘normally’ in everyday life, sitting close in sunlight alongside people, or gathering the hair or wearing sunglasses.
Over the past year and a half, we conducted a customer survey as part of the network’s operations when innovations were introduced, and we checked the pulse in the field of facial hair removal in particular – more than 70% of the treated girls were able to point out and report an improvement in their self-confidence, in the ability to be photographed without filters, and to stop hiding their faces with hair. This is the place to note and say that if a girl is dealing with real emotional distress around her appearance, it is important to consider psychological support alongside the physical treatment, since it is only one layer.
What is important for parents to take from this article? When diagnosing the need for hair removal, demand that the approach toward adolescents be sensitive and considerate, supportive and holistic. Be aware that social pressure plays a fairly decisive role and you must distinguish between it and the real need for hair removal. Leave room for the adolescent’s medical profile to be the central factor in your decision, as it will be the determining one, and try to bring about open and accepting dialogue with an emphasis on their health and mental well-being.
Yafa Maximov; former Chairwoman of the Cosmeticians’ Organization and founder of the Beauty Tech network