Emily Brown
A little sharp point, jutting out of the skin, maybe between your eyebrows or sprouting from your chin. It only takes two seconds to pluck it and have silky smooth skin again - but have you ever thought about what's going on beneath the surface when you do?
We're probably all too focused on the external result, but a simulation released by YouTuber Zackdfilms might make you think twice the next time you go to reach for the tweezers.
In his simulation shared on YouTube, Zackdfilms takes us down many layers of skin to the root of the hair, revealing that plucking 'actually rips out the entire root'.
"That's what I want!," you might cry, but while it does mean that the hair might take longer to reappear, it can actually also have a negative impact.
Advert
The YouTuber explains: "This damages the follicle, which can cause the new hair to grow in at an angle."
If you've ever had to deal with an ingrown hair, you'll know exactly where this is heading.
The gruesome simulation shows an angry hair follicle left gaping after being plucked, after which a new hair begins to take over. But because it grows in at an angle, it ends up swirling around in the wrong direction and failing to pierce through the skin.
As a result, the hair can become trapped underneath the surface, resulting in a large red bump which is a lot more noticeable than the little stub that caused all this chaos in this first place.
Zackdfilms explains the hair can 'get trapped under the skin, resulting in irritation and ingrown hairs.'
Check out the video here:
"And if you continue to repeatedly pluck like this, your follicles can become so damaged that it can no longer grow hair," his video warns.
Just as the simulation indicates, Cleveland Clinic explains that anyone who 'tweezes or waxes their hair can develop ingrown hairs', though they can also come from shaving.
They're caused when new hairs grow from hair follicles under your skin, at which point 'it may curl back and enter your skin', the Clinic says.
Symptoms include skin irritation, small bumps with hairs in the middle on your face and neck, pain, discoloration and itching, and they're best treated either by just allowing the hair to grow - without giving in to any removal methods - or applying warm compresses to the affected area for around 10 to 15 minutes, which will help open your pores and make it easier for ingrown hairs to escape.