Plucking Hair Out Stimulates New Hair Growth

[RedLightMan]

Found a study on mice hair regrowth.
Summary:

"when they plucked 200 hairs from a diameter of 3mm, they found around 450 grew back. The new hairs grew back in the plucked area, but also nearby. When they plucked 200 hairs from a diameter of 5mm, this regenerated 1,300 hairs."

Here's the source:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867415001828
Might work in a similar way to dermarolling/massage?

Any ideas why this might work? Anyone experienced this phenomenon anywhere on the body?

 

[CoolTweetPete]

Interesting.

There was always a theory floating around that if you shave the hair grows back faster and thicker. I began shaving when I was 14 and found that to be true, but it was probably just due to the increase in androgens during puberty.

I have a dermaroller at home I never used. I'll try it on spots where my hair has thinned. I recently saw some good research on the benefits of massage (supposedly to decalcify the scalp) on hair growth.

 

[ecstatichamster]

what hormones for postmenopausal women will help reduce facial hair?

 

[RedLightMan]

post 118430 what hormones for postmenopausal women will help reduce facial hair?

I'm not sure. Progesterone, thyroid?
Laser hair removal might be worth looking into if it's a big problem.

If you're worried about plucking individual hairs leading to further unwanted facial hair, don't be. This study showed that plucking individual hairs causes no hair growth response. It was only after plucking several dozen in one small area that they notice a hair growth stimulation nearby. There appears to be some sort of threshold.

post 118425 a theory floating around that if you shave the hair grows back faster and thicker

If this was true, all the balding men who shave their heads would get their hair back!

post 118425 I have a dermaroller at home I never used. I'll try it on spots where my hair has thinned

Loads of people with receding/thinning hair seem to find success with dermarollers on other forums. There also seems to be some risk of infection though, not to mention pain. Seems like plucking might be a safer option at least. Pain/damage could be a solution to follicle miniaturisation?

 

[jb116]

post 118490

post 118430 what hormones for postmenopausal women will help reduce facial hair?

I'm not sure. Progesterone, thyroid?
Laser hair removal might be worth looking into if it's a big problem.

If you're worried about plucking individual hairs leading to further unwanted facial hair, don't be. This study showed that plucking individual hairs causes no hair growth response. It was only after plucking several dozen in one small area that they notice a hair growth stimulation nearby. There appears to be some sort of threshold.

post 118425 a theory floating around that if you shave the hair grows back faster and thicker

If this was true, all the balding men who shave their heads would get their hair back!

post 118425 I have a dermaroller at home I never used. I'll try it on spots where my hair has thinned

Loads of people with receding/thinning hair seem to find success with dermarollers on other forums. There also seems to be some risk of infection though, not to mention pain. Seems like plucking might be a safer option at least. Pain/damage could be a solution to follicle miniaturisation?

To be precise he didn't say it grew hair back but that the hair condition would change, thus he said grow back thicker, meaning hair that is there.

 

[CoolTweetPete]

I can +1 on the pain. I previously had a different dermaroller I used on my face, and it was ridiculously painful to use.

This new roller is still sealed so hopefully the risk of infection is minimal. I'll report back.

 

[Tarmander]

I think there is a reason that women pluck their eye brows, and don't shave them. Shaving makes the hairs come in thicker and stronger, plucking weakens the root and they come in lighter and thinner. I am not sure I would start plucking my hairs out of my head.

 

[Sheila]

I have a mole that likes to generate a hair at around day 5 of my cycle and an extra spurt at ovulation, so I've always put it down to oestrogen.
It's ironic, half are trying to re-grow hair (wherein oestrogen is not helpful) and the other half trying to remove it from places we rather it wasn't. So maybe it is not oestrogen that is stimulating its growth in my case. Anyone have a better idea?
Thank you, Sheila

 

[ecstatichamster]

Okay, so now I'm thinking estrogen dominance may be responsible for facial hair for women. That would argue for progesterone being helpful for women who want to control hairiness...

I think high testosterone in women can also cause female facial hair growth but is probably less common.

 

[Blossom]

post 118509 I have a mole that likes to generate a hair at around day 5 of my cycle and an extra spurt at ovulation, so I've always put it down to oestrogen.

Ahhh, the dreaded hairy mole! I have this same issue Sheila and I'm currently experimenting with MelaNon to see if I can shrink it or get rid of it all together! I noticed in the first week of use hair still grew from the mole but seemed much easier to pluck out like the root was possibly weaker. I haven't grown any new hairs from the mole since the first week and I normally have 3-4 hairs that grow in rotation on that particular mole. I've only been treating it with MelaNon for about two weeks so it's too soon to say for sure how things will progress but so far so good. I've always thought the mole changed in relation to my cycle and it would often become swollen and painful when my estrogen seemed high. I think your theory about the estrogen effecting the mole hair makes perfect sense. Even though mole hair isn't a serious health problem or anything it would be really nice to get rid of it. Okay, so what's worse than having hair growing from a mole? Having that hair turn gray!!!! This isn't a beauty mark anymore. Obviously I'm still a tad bit vain.

 

[HDD]

post 118430 what hormones for postmenopausal women will help reduce facial hair?

HD: Well I'd like to spend some time talking about unwanted female hair growth, and female hair loss. Slightly different, but some of the same hormones. So, Dr. Peat, when women have a lot of facial hair or a mustache, or even if it’s on their chin or cheek, what's going on there with their hormones?

RP: The androgens usually are up, but prolactin excess — the difference seems to be whether the prolactin is steadily high, or whether it surges very high. Both hirsutism and hair loss are associated with high prolactin. The thyroid supplement is a very reliable way to control prolactin in most women. vitamin A and calcium also help to inhibit excess prolactin.

HD: And from a herbal point of view, Vitex blocks prolactin. Vitex — chaste tree berry. And also, progesterone would help with blocking some of those high androgens that are promoting the hair growth in women.

RP: Yeah. And the thyroid, if you have enough cholesterol, the thyroid will increase your progesterone, pregnenolone, and DHEA.

viewtopic.php?f=73&t=5408

 

[RedLightMan]

post 118492 This new roller is still sealed so hopefully the risk of infection is minimal. I'll report back.

Good luck. Let us know. I suppose if you clean it after use with boiling water you should be safer.

post 118504 I think there is a reason that women pluck their eye brows, and don't shave them. Shaving makes the hairs come in thicker and stronger, plucking weakens the root and they come in lighter and thinner. I am not sure I would start plucking my hairs out of my head.

Yeah...plucking hairs out of my already thinning hair is not so appealing. Plucking/waxing obviously does damage the follicle and, assuming someone has no issue with pattern baldness and follicle miniaturisation, will weaken that hair.
The idea in this study is that plucking enough hairs in a small area causes a significant healing response. If the follicle has already become miniature (thin/weak hair), perhaps damaging it, then letting it heal, means it will heal back to a more normal state.
Dermaroller success seems to suggest this. I've also seen a burn victim who regrew hair on the patch of scalp skin that was affected.

 

[RedLightMan]

From the study:
"this mechanism allows skin to respond predictively to distress, disregarding mild injury, while meeting stronger injury with full-scale cooperative activation of stem cells"

 

[Sheila]

Dear Blossom, recoiling from the sheer horror that my mole hair can next turn grey, I shall soothe (all right, smother!) it with Melanon or Solban directly!
With reference to Bigjoe's comment and picture, yes mole-hair-plucking does annoy my mole so this makes sense and yes, I think some latter year moles/blemishes definitely respond to oestrogen status. In fact, mole-hair-growth is one way I judge what's happening; when all is peachy, it doesn't happen. Clue! Oestrogen is, after all, a cell proliferant (albeit the tiny problem it doesn't know when to stop) and RP has talked about moles changing depending on hormone status (both diminishing and increasing).
Grateful as ever to HDD for her find. Looks like we have another indicator to watch which makes sense,oestrogen AND prolactin in the mix, certainly I feel my mole hair responds to surges as its growth does not appear to be constant.
Sounds awfully trivial to be discussing this, but really it's not when I think about it. Thanks to all.
Sheila

 

[Parsifal]

That's interesting, I have a sparse beard at 25 and it doesn't seem to grow anymore. I wonder if I could stimulate the growth and get a normal looking beard at that age.

 

[success23]

I am waxing my beard and i am noticing a lot of new hair. You can see the new hairs after around 2 weeks.