How to remove vellus hair on your face: 5 ways

Facial vellus hair, also known as peach fuzz, bothers many people. Even though the only inconvenience they bring is aesthetics, girls prefer to remove vellus hair in any way possible. For example, using the dermaplaning method – cutting hair with a special blade or waxing strips. True, such manipulations often cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction. Therefore, we decided to learn from experts which epilation method is the safest.

Is it necessary to remove vellus hair?

Before choosing a method for removing vellus hairs, you should at least understand why they are needed.

“There are two main types of hair: terminal and vellus. They differ not only in parameters, but also in location: terminal hairs are characteristic of the eyebrows, eyelashes, scalp, armpits and genitals. The main role of vellus hairs – “This is not only a foundation for future cores, but also a way to regulate the human body’s temperature and help sweat evaporate.” – says Ekaterina Kandinskaya, dermatologist at DocMed and DocDeti clinics.

In short, vellus hair is necessary for our body. But they can still be so annoying that no excuses will help. So let’s look at the roads.

Trade

This is a method of epilation using a pair of cotton threads. It is most often used to correct the shape of the eyebrows. During the process, the folded thread is strongly stretched and the resulting loop is wound on the hairs and pulls them out with a sharp movement. This way you can get rid of the finest hairs anywhere on your body, so the method is also used to remove peach fuzz.

“Results after the procedure last up to five weeks, but there are side effects: pain, skin irritation, ingrown hairs.” – warns Ekaterina Kandinskaya.

Therefore, it is not a good idea to use this method.

dermaplaning

The facial hair removal method that’s taking over TikTok. For this, a special knife or scalpel is used to cut the vellus hairs at a 45-degree angle.

“Despite the popularity of this method, it also has side effects: skin irritation, redness and peeling.” – comment Ekaterina Kandinskaya.

mechanical epilation

Removing hair with a razor, waxing strips, or sugaring can be effective, but in most cases you will still experience the same skin irritation after the procedure is completed. And then vellus hair will look less bad on you than the redness all over your face.

Electrolysis

Although electric epilation is considered an effective method of getting rid of excess hair, it is associated with a number of unpleasant consequences: swelling on the skin, redness, the appearance of crusts, and in some cases burns. In addition, during electrolysis, the master works with each hair separately, so the process takes quite a lot of time. For example, laser treatment on the upper lip area takes only a few minutes, while electrolysis will take 60 minutes to work on the same area.

laser hair removal

Laser epilation rightfully ranks first among epilation methods in terms of effectiveness. It is fast (application to the area above the lip takes only a few minutes), safe (the laser has no recovery period – a slight redness may occur that disappears within the day) and painless (modern lasers have powerful cooling systems). So is laser hair removal really effective for vellus hair?

“The laser beam affects melanin, the pigment in the hair. The more pigment there is in the foliage, the more effective the procedure will be. However, the latest laser devices can cope with light-colored and thin hair. – it will just require slightly more procedures. For example, Italian alexandrite DEKA MOVEO. It works twice as powerful as diode equipment. But let’s be honest: what doesn’t have pigment is vellus vegetation. Therefore, in some cases the laser may not “see” it. But as always, everything is individual here.” – Ekaterina Solovyova, laser epilation specialist of EST.EPIL regions, explains.

It also tells you how to prepare for the procedure. Spoiler: don’t worry, you won’t need a razor.

How to prepare for the procedure?

The suggestions are simple.

1.⁠ One month before the laser procedure, you should exclude other types of epilation (waxing and sugaring). And say goodbye to tweezers.

2. You should not sunbathe in the sun or in a solarium 14 days before the procedure, and use products with SPF factor. But here we do not forget that the assumption concerns diode devices. Let’s say that the already mentioned DEKA MOVEO alexandrite is fully compatible with tanning – epilation on the device can be done the day after sun exposure.

3. Do not use acid or peeling 10-14 days before the procedure.

4.⁠ Shorten the hair on your face with nail clippers or a special trimmer 12 hours before the procedure. It is better not to use a razor so as not to provoke the growth of dark hairs.

5.⁠ ⁠Immediately before the procedure it is better not to use cosmetics – the skin should be clean.