A plain-language guide to the terms you’ll hear in the treatment room.

  • Acne: a chronic skin disorder that develops when sebum and dead skin cells block your pores.
  • Body Hair: the growth of terminal hair on the human body, also known as androgenic hair, that occurs during and after puberty.
  • Depilation: the removal of unwanted hair at the skin’s surface by chemical or mechanical methods. Example: shaving, depilatory creams, or trimming.
  • Dermis: a fibrous layer made up of elastic tissue, collagen, and other extracellular elements such as glands, nerve terminals, hair follicles, and vasculature.
  • Epidermis: the skin’s outermost layer, which acts as the body’s initial line of defense against pollutants invading the body.
  • Epilation: the removal of unwanted hair below the skin’s surface by its roots mechanically. Example: waxing, tweezing, sugaring, electrolysis.
  • Esthetician: a licensed skin care professional that offers treatments and personalized recommendations to improve the health and appearance of the skin.
  • Hair Follicle: a tubular structure that encases the hair’s root and individual strands.
  • Hair Reduction: the act of deliberately decreasing the amount of visible body or facial hair. Example: laser hair reduction.
  • Hair Removal: also known as epilation or depilation, the deliberate removal of body hair or head hair.
  • Hair Shaft: the section of hair that is visible and protrudes from the skin.
  • Ingrown Hair: a terminal hair that is blocked at the surface of the skin, causing the hair to redirect and continue growing in the hair follicle.
  • Pore: an extremely small hole opening on the surface of the skin that allows liquids and other small particles to pass through.
  • Shaving: the act of removing hair with a razor at the surface level of your skin.
  • Skin Barrier: your skin’s outermost layer, aka the epidermis.
  • Skin Mantle: a thin coating of perspiration and sebum — the natural oil produced by your skin — that is somewhat acidic.
  • Terminal Hair: the coarse, thick hair that grows from your scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes and body.
  • Trimming: the deliberate act of removing hair above the surface level of your skin, allowing a portion of the hair to remain visible.
  • Waxing: the process of removing unwanted hair from a part of the body by applying wax and peeling off the wax and hairs together.