Nearly all women encounter some type of hair on their breasts, particularly on the areola, at some time in their life. Removing hair around the nipples can be done using a few methods, including trimming, tweezing, waxing, and laser hair removal. Whatever breast hair removal methods an individual chooses, she should be very careful, since this is typically an extremely sensitive area of the skin. Also, waxing and laser hair removal should be done by quality, experienced hair removal experts.
Trimming the hair with scissors is usually the easiest and least painful method of home breast hair removal. Many experts recommend using small manicure scissors when trimming these hairs. Also, although they can be cropped relatively close to the skin, there should be a small length of hair remaining. This will help prevent painful ingrown hairs.
Tweezing breast hairs is another method of removing breast hair. While this is much more painful, it usually lasts much longer. Before tweezing, most experts recommend softening the hair and opening the pores. This can be done with warm to hot water applied to the area for a few minutes. Many women who pluck the hairs surrounding the nipple do so after a hot shower.
When plucking hairs on the breast, a woman should first make sure the area and tweezers are dry to avoid slipping. Tweezer tips should also be sanitized with alcohol before starting, which can help prevent infection. When tweezing, the skin should be held tight, which can be less painful. Also, it is best to grip hairs firmly near the root and pull them out in the direction they grow.
Waxing is another option for breast hair removal, but because this is an especially sensitive area, many women may find this too painful. It is also more likely to result in ingrown hairs, which can be painful and lead to infection. Since they know the proper techniques, it is usually best to have professionals do this.
Permanent breast hair removal can be achieved using electrolysis or laser hair removal. These methods are usually quite expensive, however, and may take several sessions to permanently get rid of the hair. Many women may decide that the steep price of this type of hair removal may not be worth it to remove a few hairs.
Shaving and depilatory creams are two other methods of home hair removal. Though they are relatively easy and inexpensive methods, most experts do not recommend using either of them. With shaving, there is a chance that the delicate tissue surrounding the nipple can be cut, which may lead to an infection. Additionally, depilatory creams can cause chemical burns, and many brands specifically warn against using them on sensitive areas like the nipples.
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Discussion Comments
By ysmina — On Dec 12, 2013
I've never really needed to choose a hair removal method for breasts. There are very thin hairs on my breasts, they're not even noticeable, unless I look very closely. Occasionally, I get a single strand of darker hair and I just pull that out with tweezers. It's not painful, because it's just one hair. It takes months for it to grow back, it's not a problem at all.
By turquoise — On Dec 11, 2013
@SarahGen-- If that's true, then women shouldn't be removing hair on their legs and armpits either. But women will always remove unwanted hairs.
Men have breast hair but it's more acceptable for them. I don't think it's acceptable for women to have hair on their breasts. The hairs should be removed, but of course with a gentle method.
I think that the hair removing creams are a good choice because there is no pain or risk. Waxing or using tweezers is too painful and shaving is dangerous because cuts are likely.
By SarahGen — On Dec 11, 2013
My mom is a nurse and she told me not to remove hair on my breasts. She says that there is a reason why they're there, they provide oxygen for the tissues underneath.
By lluviaporos — On Dec 10, 2013
@KoiwiGal - Until they manage to come up with a true system of painless hair removal I think I'll just live with the handful of hairs that no one except me when I'm feeling paranoid are even going to notice.
It used to really bother me, but honestly I've never gone out with anyone who cared even a little bit. I feel like women are socialized too much to notice any kind of thing we might perceive as a flaw in our skin, even if its just a normal thing.
I try to think of myself as being hand-made as opposed to being mass produced. I might not look like the average ideal but in some ways I'm better and frankly, I'm willing to pay more for crafts that have those sorts of interesting flaws, so I should take the same sort of stance when it comes to my own.
By KoiwiGal — On Dec 10, 2013
@indigomoth - If it was me I would be more inclined to go with electrolysis rather than laser for that area, because there's less risk of problems, even if it is more painful.
That's especially true because there generally aren't all that many hairs to remove. Electrolysis is a much better hair removal system for small amounts of hair.
By indigomoth — On Dec 09, 2013
Laser hair removal might not work if the hair you want removed is on your areola, because it's usually a fairly darkly pigmented bit of skin and the lasers work by targeting melanin in hair. If your hair and your skin are around the same shade then the laser won't be able to get to the root of the hairs.
That's why light haired people generally have to settle without it. I'm not sure if they would even do laser hair removal on breasts because the skin there can be so sensitive. I know they were very careful about staying clear of the skin around my eyes when I had a skin rejuvenation a few years ago.
