Some teenage boys hope this is true, but most others will be relieved to know it’s a myth. Dharion

“Hair removal is a modern obsession. Despite the economic downturn, the beauty industry is booming, and it seems that a big part of looking good is getting rid of unwanted hair. Men as well as women are increasingly forking out big dollars for “permanent” hair removal treatments, preferring to shun the traditional character-building cold steel of a safety razor.

“Maybe it’s the risk of cuts, but undoubtedly part of the attraction of longer-term hair-removal treatments is the conventional wisdom that shaved hair grows back faster and thicker than it was before.

“Some teenage boys hope this one is true, but pretty much everybody else will be relieved to know it’s definitely a myth. For a definitive (and very old) scientific reference this one from 1970 is as good as any since. But it’s fun to speculate about why this belief persists.

“The rate of hair growth is determined by a number of factors including genetics, nutrition and nerve function to the area of skin.

“When you’re healthy, hair growth is determined by the length of time that the follicle spends in the anagen (growth) phase. Around 80% of the your follicles are in this stage at any time, and they can remain in anagen phase for years at a time. The other phases of the hair growth cycle are the catagen (transitional) phase, which lasts for a few weeks after the anagen ends, and the telogen (dormant) phase.” Click here to continue reading this article from The Conversation.