Having unwanted or extra hair on places such as your upper lip, chin, or neck can be mildly annoying to severely distressing, but there are many different ways to remove it. The methods vary in effectiveness and cost. Some types of hair removal options are temporary and others are permanent.
They include:
- Over-the-counter creams such as depilatories
- Shaving
- Tweezing
- Waxing
- Laser treatments
- Electrolysis
- Medicine (including birth control pills)
It’s very important to be aware that certain methods of hair removal are NOT SAFE for all skin types and colors. Reactions from a hair removal product such as scars and burns can look far worse than hair. Talk to your health care provider first, then check out local salons and spas and remember to test a small area before applying the hair removal product on larger areas.
Our health guides are developed through a systematic, rigorous process to ensure accuracy, reliability, and trustworthiness. Written and reviewed by experienced healthcare clinicians from Boston Children's Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital and consistently ranked as a top hospital by Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report, these guides combine clinical expertise, specialized knowledge, and evidence-based medicine. We also incorporate research and best practices from authoritative sources such as the CDC, NIH, PubMed, top medical journals, and UpToDate.com. Clinical specialists and subject matter experts review and edit each guide, reinforcing our commitment to high-quality, factual, scientifically accurate health information for young people.