What does epilation refer to in the context of hair removal?

Epilation refers to the process of removing hair from the root, which involves breaking the connection between the hair bulb and the hair papilla. The hair bulb is the structure that forms the base of the hair, while the papilla contains blood vessels that nourish the hair. By removing hair from this deeper level, epilation can result in longer-lasting hair removal compared to other methods like shaving, which only cuts hair at the surface and allows it to grow back quickly.

Methods of epilation include waxing, tweezing, and using epilator devices, all of which effectively remove hair by the root. This is distinct from other choices, which either describe methods that only cut hair at the surface (like shaving) or apply a chemical to dissolve the hair without removing it from the root. Therefore, breaking contact between the bulb and the papilla is the fundamental essence of what epilation accomplishes in hair removal.