Virginia Barber Practice Exam

Depilatories are also known as hair removal creams and work by breaking down the protein in hair, causing it to dissolve at the skin line. This method is different from shaving, which cuts the hair at the surface of the skin. Depilatories also do not pull the hair from the root like waxing, making it a less painful option for hair removal. Cutting is also not a method used by depilatories, as they do not physically remove the hair shaft. Thus, dissolving the hair at the skin line is the most accurate description of how depilatories remove superfluous hair.