Will Over Plucking Stop Hair Growth?

Close-up of a young woman tweezing her eyebrows

Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images

Tweezing facial hair is a common way of removing stray hairs. Some fear that plucking will cause the hair to grow back thicker. This is not the case. In fact, over plucking may decrease the growth after a long period of time.

Considerations

Woman plucking her eyebrow

IT Stock/Polka Dot/Getty Images

A person's health can determine whether or not the hair will grow back after plucking. Women going through menopause have a decrease in hair growth, and it is possible for the hair not to grow back after tweezing. Someone in poor health or lacking vitamins may also notice a decrease in hair growth.

Follicle

Woman plucking her eyebrows

Creatas Images/Creatas/Getty Images

Constant plucking can eventually kill the hair follicle. The hair may never grow back. There is also the chance that the hair will become ingrown. The direction of growth could change as well as the hair's texture.

Time Frame

Young woman plucking eyebrows, close-up, reflection in mirror

Christopher Robbins/Digital Vision/Getty Images

It would take many years of tweezing and plucking to notice a decrease in hair growth.

Expert Insight

Extreme Close Up of a Woman's Brown Eye

Digital Vision./Digital Vision/Getty Images

A licensed stylist or aesthetician should be consulted before attempting to tweeze your facial hair. It is quite common to become carried away and remove too much hair.

Warning

Young woman having eyebrows plucked at beauty parlour

Steve Mason/Digital Vision/Getty Images

Pointed tweezers should only be used by licensed aestheticians or stylists. Without knowing how to properly use tweezers, you could tear the skin and cause scarring.