Shaving has been, for many years, part of the daily routine for hundreds of millions of people around the world. It dates back to approximately 100,000 BC, as suggested by most experts and artifacts.
This is a period when cavemen would eliminate hair from their bodies ‘manually.’ They would pull hair from their body one at a time; crazy, right?
It is even crazier to think that we spend thousands of hours of our lives removing hair that inevitably grows back.
The average man spends more than a month out of his lifetime shaving his beard [source: The Economist].
Grooming your body hair can seem like cutting the grass in the summertime. You devote an afternoon to the chore, and the next thing you know, the grass has shot up. Then, you’re hauling the lawn mower outside again.
This appears just like a practice in madness. It’s some sort of social obligation we are trained to obey. When shaving your body, there are eyebrows to tweeze, mustaches to trim, and coiffures to condition daily.
This way, you keep your faces clear of scruff and your bodies as smooth as eggs.
Read: Can I shave after laser hair removal?
How Long After Laser Hair Removal Can I Shave
Shaving is the removal of hair, using any kind of bladed implement to slice it down to skin level. It is most commonly practiced by men and women.
Men remove their facial hair, and women remove their leg and underarm hair. Shaving body hair can help reduce body odor! The bacteria on your skin break down the sweat, which creates an unpleasant smell.
Shaving armpits and body hair lead to fewer bacteria and less smell.
Body shaving is a changing debate and fashion now. For such a global trend, there have been surprisingly few major advancements.
The world has changed, and in the past decade, we have seen a massive resurgence in the growth of long beards.
The question of shaving between genders remains a controversial oft-discussed topic.
Cultural and aesthetic judgments were made about the presence of hair on the underarms. Some prefer smooth and sleek as the bonnet of a Porsche or au naturel.
Other people prefer thick hair like a grizzly bear.
Every man has an aesthetic preference when it comes to looking after body hair.
For thousands of years, most women didn’t show off their bare arms or their underarms, so those areas remained unshaven. It became socially appropriate to show those areas of the body.
Men, however, did not have such a taboo about showing their underarms. Shaving’s major influence is basically cultural norms and gender dynamics.
The reason was that cultural and aesthetic judgments were made about the presence of hair on the underarms. This article seeks to answer some of the FAQs regarding body hair.
Why Do We Have Body Hair?
Mammals have an internal mechanism called thermoregulation that allows the brain to adjust the temperature inside of their bodies. To keep your body from overheating, you sweat.
Sweat can do its job and cool you off through evaporation if there isn’t a lot of thick hair in the way.
We may consider ourselves fairly bald when compared to our ape cousins.
The average human has actually covered in around 5 million tiny hair follicles. Prehistoric studies thought that our ancestors evolved from walking on all fours to standing.
This made our dense covering of body hair begin to thin out in order to keep us cooler when moving.
The main purpose of body hair is to help regulate our temperature in addition to keeping dirt out of our body (in areas such as our eyes and nostrils).
Body hairs, however, serve some secondary purpose aside from thermoregulation. Speaking of mating, body hair can also play a role in sexual attraction.
On a superficial level, some people may prefer partners with long, short or curly locks.
Biologically, the areas of thicker hair on humans’ underarms and genitals are probably related to sexual selection.
One must begin to wonder at this point, why then do we shave body hair?
Why Do We Shave Body Hair?
Shaving body hair and armpits lead to fewer bacteria and helps reduce body odor! Underarm hair is a great breeding ground for bacteria.
They thrive under the protective cover of the body hair, boosting the smell of perspiration as a result.
The sweat doesn’t stink on its own. The bacteria on your skin break down the sweat, which creates an unpleasant smell. As seen in the Olympics or any kind of competitive sport, athletes tend to be prone to body shaving. But why?
A smooth, clean-shaven body is less likely to become inflamed after minor sporting injuries.
Moreso, take boxing, for instance; a glove is much more likely to slip off smooth, sweaty skin. It is also a huge competitive advantage for certain sports like swimming and cycling.
According to sporting forums, swimmers who shave their legs are 0.06 – 0.07 percent quicker than those who embrace the fuzz.
Shaving is, however, not particularly pleasant.
Each sweep of the razor causes micro-lesions in the skin, which can become slightly inflamed.
First-time shavers should watch out for irritation. But don’t be put off – with the right preparation and care, you can minimize the risks. If you shave regularly, your skin becomes accustomed to it.
Nowadays, people are picking up the razor to shave body hair for a variety of reasons, including;
- Personal hygiene and an increased feeling of cleanliness
- Able to smell better and avoid unpleasant body odor
- For aesthetic reasons
- To improve athletic performance
Genetics
How often you shave depends on your genetics and your preferred end result.
Generally, we recommend shaving every two to three days if you want a clean shave. Take three to five days if you want to simply style or trim.
And if you want to just let your hair grow, then simply stop shaving.
The options for hair removal are endless, from waxing to threading and shaving to tweezing.
Laser hair removal is one of the few options that offer a permanent approach to getting rid of body hair.
This article will be taking a close look at the Laser hair removal technique. Critically examining how long after laser you can shave is of utmost priority in this write-up.
Shaving With Laser
Laser hair removal is a medical procedure that uses a concentrated beam of light (laser) to remove unwanted hair. The laser functions based on the conversion of light energy to heat energy.
The light energy that is absorbed by the pigment (melanin) in the hair is converted to heat.
Heat damages the tube-shaped sacs within the skin (hair follicles) that produce hairs.
Laser hair removal is used to reduce unwanted hair. With a laser, it’s possible to treat unwanted hair in nearly any area except the eyelid or surrounding area.
Body Features
The laser should damage only the hair follicle while avoiding damage to the skin. The basic principle is that the pigment of the hair, but not the pigment of the skin, should absorb the light.
Therefore, hair color and skin type influence the success of laser hair removal.
A contrast between hair and skin color — dark hair and light skin — results in the best outcomes.
The doctor will press a hand-held laser instrument on your skin. There’s a cooling device on the tip of the instrument. This or a cool gel might be used to protect your skin and reduce the risk of side effects.
Hairs do not fall out immediately, but you will shed them over a period of days to weeks.
Most people experience hair removal that lasts several months, and it might last for years. However, results vary significantly and are difficult to predict.
Before laser hair removal, you can schedule a consultation with the doctor to determine if this is an appropriate treatment option for you.
The doctor will examine your medical history and discuss risks, benefits, and expectations.
Lasers that can be used at home for hair removal are, however, available. These devices might cause modest hair reduction.
If you choose to use a home laser hair removal device, follow the instructions that come with the device. This way, you can reduce the risk of injury, especially eye injuries.
How Long After Laser Can I Shave
Laser hair removal usually requires two to six treatments. For best results, shave ideally around the 10th day. This is the average time recommended.
Your hair will start to spur out within the next 5-14 days for the shedding phase to occur.
The new outgrown will consist of patchy and fine hairs.
Many individuals do not always see shedding naturally. This is due to many reasons such as:
- the hair growth,
- the stage of which the hair growth is in and,
- any previous hair removal methods used.
Shaving after an average of 10 days will help boost the shedding phase, allowing the new growth to come through.
You are recommended not to shave before this time frame as all of your hairs will not have come through.