04 Trauma of hair removal

4. The trauma of kesh/hair removal
Welcome to ‘The power of hair’ playlist from SHARE Charity sevadaars. These short video clips are designed to help us reflect on the beauty and power of hair otherwise known as kesh in Sikhism. These are an educational resource produced to acknowledge the purpose as to why kesh/hair is kept and the impact of removing it from the body. It is not our intention to offend anyone, or to make anyone feel uncomfortable in their life choices but instead, for us all to appreciate a clearer understanding of what happens to the body and mind because of removing or keeping kesh/hair.
The trauma of kesh/hair removal
Hair removal causes many types of trauma including physical from the different procedures used to remove hair that contribute towards long term side effects from being continuously performed. Psychological trauma is triggered by the negative emotions such as worrying and
stressing about the opinions of society and expenses associated with removal procedures.
Social trauma is caused by the need of being accepted by people and keeping up to the standards that are being advertised by companies.
Levels of self-inflicted physical trauma from hair removal causes dermatological side effects such as
(1) shaving which irritates the skin surface and risks of cuts give rise to infections due to the skin-blood barrier being exposed.
(2) Waxing includes 2 types of trauma whereby the first is caused by the hot wax which can burn the skin and become inflamed causing scabs and secondly, the hot wax causes the hair follicle pore to be exposed which if contaminated will cause infection
(3) Threading can cause erythema, folliculitis and hyperpigmentation.
(4) As laser utilises an electric beam for removal, risks include blistering, scarring and change in skin texture.
To combat the risks, more money is wasted in products to soothe the skin. Hours are lost in working hard to self-inflict pain caused by not understanding the purpose of hair and being influenced by society and companies, which will not be gained back.
DeMaria, A. L., Flores, M., Hirth, J. M., & Berenson, A. B. (2014). Complications related to pubic hair removal. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology,
210(6), 528.e1-528.e5285. doi.org/10.101...
Zhang, J., Chen, R., Wen, L., Fan, Z., Guo, Y., Hu, Z., & Miao, Y. (2021). Recent Progress in the Understanding of the Effect of Sympathetic Nerves on Hair Follicle Growth. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 9(1), 1-9.. doi.org/10.338...
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