Glossary
Abdomen: The soft area between the rib cage and the pubic area. A common area for excess hair, often in a line from the belly button to the pubic hair.AC: Alternating current. A flow of electricity that comes from a wall outlet,(as opposed to direct current (DC). Used in flash thermolysis and certain types of electric tweezers.
Acne: An inflammation of the skin which can make hair removal more difficult.
Adrenal: A gland that affects certain types of hair growth.
Aesthetician: A non-medical practitioner who specializes in the education, preventive care and treatment of the skin, by offering non-invasive treatments, such as facials, light chemical peels, exfoliation, make-up application and other skin care therapies.
Anagen: The active growing phase of the hair cycle. Anagen lasts about 3 years with a range of 2-6 years.
Analgesic: A substance that is used to reduce or relieve pain.
Androgen: A hormone causing masculine characteristics and affecting hair growth. Higher androgen levels can lead to increased amounts of hair. The major androgen is testosterone.
Anesthetic: A substance used to decrease nerve sensitivity and relieve pain.
Antibiotic: A medication used to treat infection by killing bacteria and other germs.
Antiseptic: A substance that inhibits the growth of bacteria.
Broken capillaries: The smallest blood vessels at the surface of the skin.
Bulb: The root of a hair, so named because it's wider at the base.
Bulbous needle: A type of electrolysis needle.
Calcium thioglycolate: The active dissolving ingredient in many cream depilatories.
Catagen: A brief middle stage in the hair growth cycle, between active (anagen) and inactive (telogen) stages. In catagen all growth ceases and the "club" hairs are formed.
Cathode: A negative electrode in a cell or circuit.
Chemical depilatories: A powder or cream that dissolve hair above the surface of the skin. Some find these products very irritating to the skin.
ChillTip: A patented contact cooling device used in laser hair removal.
Club hair: A non-living hair in the last stages of the hair growth cycle, it is detached from the follicle but has not yet shed.
CME: Certified Medical Electrologist.
Cold wax: A type of wax that is spread on at room temperature and used to remove hair by pressing cloth or paper on it and yanking the cloth or paper. This takes the wax and hair with it. Often used in home waxing kits.
Collagen: A protein that holds all connective tissue together under the skin. Collagen is sometimes damaged by plucking or electrolysis, which can lead to dimpling on the skin.
Congenital: A condition that is hereditary. Excess hair often runs in the family.
Cortex: The soft center of a hair.
CPE: Certified Public Electrologist.
Current: The flow of electricity, either alternating (AC like a wall outlet) or direct (DC like a battery).
Curved follicles: A relatively uncommon condition which makes certain hair removal methods more difficult and can lead to ingrown hairs.
Cushing Syndrome: A disease caused by a tumor on the adrenal gland, which can cause excess hair growth.
Cutaneous: Relating to the skin.
Cuticle: The hard outer part of a hair.
Danazol: A drug that is sometimes associated with excess hair growth.
Dapelle: A brand of electric tweezer.
DC: Direct current. A flow of electricity, as in a battery.
Dectronique: A Canadian manufacturer of electrolysis equipment.
Depilamax: A Canadian manufacturer of electrolysis equipment.
Depilation: The term for hair removal which affects the part of the hair above the surface of the skin, such as by shaving and using chemical depilatories. (Epilation is the removal of the entire hair, including the part below the skin).
Depilatories: Substances used to dissolve hair above the surface of the skin.
Depilex: A UK manufacturer of electrolysis equipment.
Dermal papilla: A tiny bulge at the root of a hair, thought to be one of the primary targets in permanent hair removal.
Dermal sheath: A lining around a hair.
Dermatologist: A doctor that specializes in skin and hair conditions.
Dermis: The inner layer of skin, where the hair follicle (root) is located. The skin is comprised of two layers, the outer layer is the epidermis.
Diabetes: A disease where the body improperly produces insulin and is sometimes associated with excess hair growth.
Diazoxide: A drug sometimes associated with excess hair growth.
Diet: Can affect excess hair growth, especially in the extremely obese and extremely anorexic.
Diode: A semi-conductive material which mainly lets energy travel one direction and not the other.
Dynamic Cooling Device: Provides cooling and protection to the skin by emiting a short spray of cryogen milliseconds before each laser pulse.
Ears: A common place for hair removal in older males. Only hair on the outer ear should be treated, and never inside the ear canal due to risk of infection.
Efficacy: The ability to produce a desired beneficial effect. In hair removal, the effectiveness of a hair removal procedure or device.
Electrode: In hair removal, a conductor through which electricity enters or leaves the body. An electrolysis needle is an electrode.
Electrologist: A practitioner of electrology.
Electrology: The practice of hair removal using electrified needles, invented in the 1870's.
Electrolysis: In hair removal, the practice of epilation using electrified needles.
Epidermis: The outer layer of skin.
Epilation: The term for hair removal below the skin's surface (as opposed to depilation), such as by plucking, waxing, electrolysis and laser.
Erythema: A medical term for the redness that sometimes follows hair removal, due to small blood vessels dilating in the skin.
ESC: ESC Medical Systems Inc. makes flash lamp hair removal products PhotoDerm HR and EpiLight (an intense light energy system, not a laser system).
Eschar: A dry scab that forms on the skin following a burn or cauterizations, and sometimes occurs after electrolysis, especially after overtreatment.
Estrogen: A female hormone sometimes associated with increased hair growth.
Eyebrows: A common area for hair removal in women. Men sometimes remove hairs between the brows. The most common method is plucking, waxing, or threading, although some also use electrolysis. Laser methods usually not recommended near eye area.
FDA: Food and Drug Administration.
Follicle: A sac just below the surface of the skin from which hair grows.
GentleLASE: An alexandrite laser made by Candela.
Hair: The filamentous outgrowth of the epidermis found in mammals. Hair grows on every part of body (except palms and soles), and helps maintain body temperature. Hair grows from follicles that contain the lower shaft and root of the hair. Hair color is determined by the amount of melanin present.
Hair shaft: The term given to the part of the hair that is above the skin.
Ingrown hair: A hair that does not emerge from the follicle but remains embedded in the skin (usually causing inflammation).
Intermediate Hairs: Hairs between vellus and terminal. Thin, but with some pigmentation.
Intermediate hairs: Hairs that are between vellus and terminal hairs. They contain a small amount of pigment but are smaller and thinner than terminal hairs.
Keloids: A type of raised darkened scar, more common with dark skin.
Keratin: A fibrous protein found in hair, nails, and skin.
Lanugo hair: Also known as "womb hair," the hair that begins to grow on the embryo approximately five months after conception, and is very soft, fine and unpigmented.
Laser: A very pure and intense beam of light formed within a crystal, or the device that creates the light. LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
LaserLite: A pulsed diode array laser made by Diomed.
Melanin: The pigments that give color to the skin and hair. The greater the amount of melanin the darker the hair. The amount of melanin usually decreases with age, resulting in gray or white hair.
Nd:YAG: An acronym for Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet, a compound that is used as the lasing medium for certain solid-state lasers. Nd:YAG lasers typically emit light with a wavelength of 1064 nm, in the infrared. Nd:YAG lasers operate in both pulsed and continuous mode.
Outer root sheath: A soft thin layer surrounding the lower two-thirds of a hair.
Ovaries: Sexual glands in a woman, a major source of female hormones. Certain conditions involving the ovaries can lead to excess hair growth, especially polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Overtreatment: Overly aggressive hair removal treatment which leads to temporary or permanent skin damage.
Photolysis: Photolysis refers to any chemical reaction in which a compound is broken down by light. A marketing term designed to imply lasers are permanent.
Pulse: Each time a laser is fired, lasting about 1 second.
Q-switched: A mode of laser used in hair removal, generally not considered as effective as long-pulsed or normal modes.
RE: Registered Electrologist.
RF: Radio frequency.
Selective Photothermolysis: The process in which transfer of laser energy is limited by the proper selection of the wavelength and exposure time so that only the desired target tissue is damaged.
SoftLight: A Nd:YAG laser made by ThermoLase.
Spot size: Determines how much skin area can be covered per laser pulse and affects the speed and penetration of the laser (a larger spot penetrates deeper).
Subcutaneous: Layer just beneath the outer layer or skin, but above the muscle.
Sugaring: An ancient method of hair removal similar to waxing, but the depilatory used is a mixture of sugar and honey. It is more expensive and time-consuming than waxing, but gentler and less painful.
Telogen: The resting phase of the hair growth cycle. This phase lasts about 3-4 months and ends when new hairs (anagen) emerge and push out the old telogen hairs.
Terminal Hairs: Deep-rooted coarse hairs that are pigmented and fully developed. These are usually the hairs consumers want removed and are found on the scalp, beard, pubic area, arms and legs.
Thermolase: The maker of SoftLight lasers.
Thermolysis: A chemical process by which a substance is decomposed into other substances by use of heat (from thermo- meaning heat and -lysis meaning break down).
Tragus: This is cartilage opposite the inner curve of the ear that protrudes over the ear canal and is attached to the front side of the face.
Tweezing: Pulling hair out with tweezers.
Vascular lesions: A rupture or malformation of blood vessels near the skin's surface. Common types include broken capillaries, spider veins and port wine stains.
Vasodilators: Drugs which cause the opening of blood vessels. The hair growth drug minoxidil is a vasodilator.
Vellus: Sometimes called "peach fuzz," these are tiny colorless hairs that cover most of the body surface. Vellus hair replaces lanugo shortly after birth and may be transformed into terminal hairs under the influence of androgens.
Verucca: A medical term for a wart.
Vitiligo: Milky unpigmented spots on the skin, usually occuring after adulthood, and more common in African-Americans.
Wart: A viral infection of the skin characterized by rough raised bumps. Warts can be spread by electrolysis and laser, so infected areas should not be treated.
Waxing: A common (painful) method of epilation using hot or cold wax applied to the skin and pressing strips of cloth or paper into the wax. When the strips are pulled away, they remove most hairs by the roots. Can be done at home or in a salon.
White skin: Generally responds with less side effects to laser and electrolysis than other skin types.
Working point: The point at which energy used in laser or electrolysis is just under the patients skin and pain tolerance, allowing for most effective treatment.
X-ray: A form of irradiation once used for hair removal, proven potentially lethal in the 1940s and now generally banned n the U.S. due to the likelihood of disfigurement and death.
