General information
The term abdominal hair is used to describe the hair that is found in the area of the abdomen. There are three types of hair in humans: Two of these types of hair can be found on the abdomen, both vellus hair and terminal hair. – Lanugo hair
- Vellus hair
- Terminal hair.
In humans, most of the body hair, including the hair on the belly, consists of the unpigmented, soft, thin vellus hair. These hairs cover the body from birth. In the course of puberty, due to hormonal changes, some vellus hairs are transformed into thicker, harder, pigmented terminal hairs, which are considered to be secondary sexual characteristics. In men, this development during late puberty under the influence of androgens such as testosterone, sometimes also results in terminal hairs on the abdomen.
Hair pattern and extent
The typical pattern of hair takes its origin at the lower sternum and then goes from there towards the navel, at the same time hair growth begins in the pubic area and also moves towards the navel. The extent of the hair varies greatly from person to person and depends mainly on the hormone levels in the blood and on an individual genetic disposition. This is why some men have almost no terminal hair on their abdomen, while others have very pronounced hair. All this is considered normal. In women, the presence of abdominal hair is unusual, but it can also occur in the context of certain hormonal disorders.
Abdominal hair removal
Nowadays, strong body hair in most places, including the belly, is unpopular with most people, the ideal of beauty is increasingly defined by a hairless body. Therefore, it comes to the fact that more and more men want to remove the abdominal hair (let). As with other hairs, the simplest method for this is a shave, which can be done with a classic wet shave or with a body hair trimmer.
The advantage is that this is simple and inexpensive and can be done by anyone, the disadvantage is the short duration of the desired condition. Depending on the speed of the hair growth, one has to shave again after 1 to 3 days in order to have no visible hair on the belly. Furthermore, people with sensitive skin often react to a wet shave with slight allergic reactions.
An alternative is the depilatory cream. This is slightly more expensive, but the result will last longer. On average, new stubble does not reappear for at least 3 days and it is usually softer and finer than its predecessors.
Probably the most effective, but at the same time the most complex and expensive way of removing hair from the belly is treatment by a dermatologist or cosmetician with IPL (intense pulsed light). Here one uses pulsed light, which is similar to a laser, with which one can destroy the hair roots. As a result, the hair in the irradiated area falls out and, if at all, grows back much later and thinner and softer.
This requires several sessions, depending on the skin type, the abdomen is usually hair-free after an average of 7 sessions. Apart from the above mentioned methods of abdominal hair removal, which are all painless, as long as no complications occur, it is also possible to epilate, pluck or grow (let grow) the hair, which also leads to good and even longer lasting results than shaving, but can sometimes cause severe pain.
