Children under pressure Why four-year-olds in Japan are already having their hair removed

In Japan, more and more children are having their hair removed. The reason: if they have hair in the wrong place, they are considered careless.

There are several hair removal studios in Tokyo, Japan. Dione, for example, has a children's room with toys. This is not only practical for parents who take their children for hair removal on their legs or upper lips, but children are also customers themselves.

On Instagram, Dione writes: "Hyper Skin Hair Removal is [...] an innovative hair removal method designed not only for your skin, but also for the appearance of your pores. Because it does not reach high temperatures, hair removal is gentle for children."

Store manager Miho Kakoi tells TheJapan Timesthat 30 children were treated by her in December. Among them was a four-year-old girl. A survey by the Marketing Center market research institute also shows that there is a clear trend towards children's hair removal in Japan.

Japanese society has established its own beauty standards

But is it really necessary to depilate children? It helps, say parents who send their children to Dione or other specialist clinics. Japan's harmony society has established its own standards for beauty - hair in the wrong place is not welcome. Those who do not follow this risk being seen as careless and undisciplined.

One mother told the Japan Times that her six-year-old daughter was teased because she had hair above her lip and it looked like a moustache. "After consulting with my husband, I decided that it would be good if the hair could be removed before she starts elementary school, where swimming lessons are part of the curriculum," says the 33-year-old.

Five to six percent of customers are children

She is not alone in this. When Dione started up 15 years ago, children up to third grade made up 0.5 percent of the clientele. Today, the figure is five to six percent.

Some of the girls are "inspired by their mothers", says branch manager Kakoi. But many children want the treatment because they have been approached by their peers about the hair on their arms, legs or face.

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However, such treatment is not cheap. Depending on the area to be depilated, Hyper Skin Hair Removal costs between 460 and 2540 francs.

Experts are not enthusiastic about the trend. The recommended minimum age for hair removal is 15, "when the hormonal fluctuations of puberty have stabilized somewhat", says dermatologist Takeshi Ouchi in the Japan Times. Children's skin is still too thin and too sensitive to laser away hair follicles. And the demand to look perfect is not for children anyway.