Hair today, gone tomorrow: a new hair removal system may be more effective and less painful than electrolysis - SoftLight laser - includes related information

American Fitness, Nov-Dec, 1997 by Susan Berliner

* Little scientific research has been done on hair removal. Up to now, much of it has been conducted by non-medical sources, such as the electrolysis community.

* Everyone's hair grows differently, depending on age, weight, metabolism, hormones, ethnicity, medications and other factors.

* Hairs grow in different stages. At any one time, some hairs on our bodies are growing while others are at rest.

* The length of a hair is dictated by the time it spends in the growing stage. Scalp hair, for instance, grows for years and can become several feet long, while underarm and leg hair grow for weeks and remain relatively short.

* The idea that hair grows teach thicker and coarser after being cut is a myth. After cutting, the hair grows teach the same as before. It only seems coarser because it is shorter and appears more firmly embedded in the skin

* Plucking stimulates hair growth in the surrounding follicles. When you begin, be ready to keep doing it.

* The only areas of the body that are completely hair free are the soles of the feet and the palms of the hand.

Susan Berliner is an account executive for Middleberg Associates in New York City.