Hollywood Kings With No Hairs Apparent
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday October 1, 2001
Quiz: Who was the last Hollywood star to publicly display his body hair?
If you answered Austin Powers, it doesn't count, because he was satirising Sean Connery, who had chest curls way back when hirsute was hot.
You won't see a single strand on Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, or Leonardo DiCaprio. And Robin Williams keeps himself well covered.
It's even harder to think of the last hairy pop singer. George Michael, perhaps. And wasn't he arrested for showing his body hair to an undercover cop? Look at any pop video nowadays and you can see that smooth and shiny is the skin style for the likes of Ricky Martin, the Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, and Human Nature. Because their target audience is 13-year-old girls, today's musical males have to look like 14-year-old boys.
We are passing through a period of history when the only aesthetically acceptable hair for men is on the head and chin, and when profitable new industries are springing up to meet the demand.
Not so long ago, men who wanted hairless chests had to shave or endure the agony of waxing. But now pour-and-rip is being replaced by a treatment which burns the hair follicle, leading to almost permanent hair removal.
Dr Fee Lai, a plastic surgeon with clinics in the CBD and Parramatta, was one of the first to trumpet laser treatments when the ``ruby laser" arrived in Australia in 1997, and to move on to the Alexandrite laser. The theory is that the laser removes unwanted body hair without damaging the pores of the skin.
Dr Lai explains: ``The laser emits energy at a specific wavelength which is absorbed by the hair shaft pigment. Heat is generated and transmitted to the hair follicle, resulting in its destruction."
He says clinical trials over the past two years show people have not reported any regrowth, a far longer time than with waxing or shaving sessions.
Most of Dr Lai's clients are women. But not all.
``About 20 per cent are men who want their backs and chests done, although some come for their beards," Dr Lai says.
``For many it is a lifestyle thing. I have had Greek and Lebanese men coming in saying they are sick of being called a gorilla at the beach."
There are also those who say their body hair is ``too good an insulator" and makes them too hot in summer.
Most people can have hair removed from an area of their body in five to 10 treatments. The cost ranges from hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the person and the amount of hair.
One of his clients, Mark, 37, has just finished five sessions of hair removal from his back and neck. ``It was a decision I made just to get rid of the dark hairs. I swim outside and play a lot of sport and I was a bit self conscious so it's good not to have to worry about it."
© 2001 Sydney Morning Herald