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Laser Hair Removal
Does Shaving Make Your Hair Grow Back Thicker and Faster?
Shaving does not cause hair to grow back thicker nor faster. Shaving only affects the hair at the superficial layer of the skin, so it can't influence how it grows and it does not alter the actual follicle of hair beneath the skin. The hair follicle stays intact. Initially, when the hairs are growing out after shaving, they can appear/feel thicker due to the hairs growing out from the base. Once the hairs fully grow out to their original length, they should have the same thickness prior to shaving.
Clinical Context
Unlike shaving, waxing and plucking remove the hair root, but the follicle usually stays active and regrows hair on its own cycle. Laser hair removal is different: it targets pigment in the follicle to damage it with heat, which can permanently reduce hair over multiple treatments rather than just removing what's already there. These methods work at different levels beneath the skin, which is why they produce different regrowth patterns over time.
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