Unfortunately, plucking from sensitive areas, such as the face leads to infection of the hair shaft and curling of the hair into the skin resulting in pimples, acne and a worsening cosmetic problem. Tweezing causes an increased blood supply to the tweezed hairs and adjacent hairs causing an increase in the follicle structure. In addition, coincidentally vellus hairs are sometimes grabbed with the terminal hair being tweezed, which will cause the vellus hairs to grow back thicker and with darker pigment. Waxing removes all hairs in a given area including the vellus hairs. The hot wax is also irritating to the skin.
Some women use depilating agents on their face and other parts of the body.
The face is particularly sensitive to these substances and can become quite irritated. Because hair is produced as a defense against chemical irritation of the skin, hirsutism is worsened. Depilatory agents may have the same effect on the telogen follicle as tweezing. Although many women find the thought unpleasant, close shaving is the best method for temporarily removing unsightly hair. Utilizing an electric shave further reduces skin irritation.