Which term describes a device that mechanically removes hair by pulling it from the follicle?

• A. Depilator
• B. Epilator
• C. Waxer
• D. Razor

Answer: (B)

Mechanical hair removal that pulls hair from the follicle is done by an epilator. An epilator is a handheld device with a head of tiny tweezers that grab multiple hairs at once and yank them out from the root as you move it along the skin. Because the hair is removed from the root, the results last longer than shaving. Depilator refers to chemical methods that dissolve hair at the skin’s surface, not a mechanical device. A waxer uses wax to remove hair (often with strips) and is a technique, not a single device that continually pulls hair from the follicle. A razor simply cuts hair at the skin’s surface and does not pull it from the root. So the term that best fits a device designed to mechanically remove hair by pulling from the follicle is epilator.