Biological Effects of Electrical Epilation on Human Hair Follicles and Perifollicular Skin Ex Vivo
electrical epilation hair follicles outer root sheath HF basement membrane keratinocyte apoptosis keratin 15+ bulge stem cells HF immune privilege melanin production perifollicular inflammation mast cells MHC class II+ cells ICAM-1 expression neurogenic inflammation markers hair removal hair follicle basement membrane cell death stem cells immune privilege melanin inflammation immune cells ICAM-1 inflammation markers
TLDR Electrical epilation damages hair follicles and surrounding skin, likely preventing hair regrowth.
The study investigated the biological effects of electrical epilation on human hair follicles (HFs) and surrounding skin using full-thickness fragments of healthy human scalp skin cultured ex vivo. Results showed that electrical epilation removed hair shafts and parts of the outer root sheath, caused persistent thinning of the HF basement membrane, and increased keratinocyte apoptosis. It also increased the number of keratin 15+ bulge stem cells and temporarily disrupted HF immune privilege. Epilated HFs exhibited reduced melanin production and significant perifollicular inflammation, with increased mast cells, MHC class II+ cells, and ICAM-1 expression. Additionally, there was a transient up-regulation of neurogenic inflammation markers. These findings suggested that electrical epilation led to complex biological responses and likely inhibited post-epilation hair regrowth.
