Blanching during hair removal procedures can be caused by which factors?

• A. Deep insertions only
• B. Over treatment of skin and shallow insertions
• C. Excessive cold
• D. High humidity

Answer: (B)

Blanching happens when the surface blood vessels constrict and the skin goes pale in response to trauma from the hair removal energy. The best explanation is that it results from treating the skin too aggressively while the insertion is too shallow. When the needle sits too near the surface, the current path is concentrated in the epidermis and superficial tissues, delivering more energy to the surface than the follicle can safely absorb. That surface over-stimulation causes rapid irritation and vasoconstriction, whitening the skin.

Over-treatment compounds the effect because it extends exposure or increases current density at the surface, making blanching more likely. If the insertion were deeper, the energy would target the follicle more and the surface would be less affected, reducing blanching. While very cold can cause temporary pallor, it isn’t the typical mechanism behind blanching during routine hair removal, and humidity doesn’t influence this reaction.