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There are several reasons why this myth continues to flourish. One is the limitation of human perception. “People are just not very good observers, but there’s just no science behind hair growing back thicker,” says Amy McMichael, chair of the Department of Dermatology at Wake Forest Baptist Health.”
There’s also the power of coincidence. If a young boy shaves his mustache it will grow back thicker. But that’s because the shaving overlaps with the timing of natural hormonal fluctuations in his body that are developing his adult facial hair. Body hair grows at different times and at different rates for everybody.
With hair waxing the story is similar. Hair is not coming back in a more robust way after
it’s yanked out by the roots. Waxing can eventually reduce growth from certain hair
follicles due to the repeated trauma.
Amy McMichael goes on to say,
“Still, there are other genetic or hormonal influences that can affect hair growth. And environment can play a role, too. If you scratch an area of
your skin significantly, which doesn’t happen with an average shaving or waxing, it may get rough like a callus and that can actually stimulate thickening of the hair growth.
That’s because the skin is getting thicker, the nerves are getting thicker and the hair may get thicker, too.”
So remember, if you have a facial waxing appointment and cosmetologist or esthetician doesn’t ask you the question I ask before waxing you are in the wrong place.
