Is laser epilation permissible?

- Is it religiously permissible for a woman to have the hair on her arms and legs surgically removed so that it will never grow back?
- Is it objectionable?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Changes made to the human body for the purpose of esthetics when there is no need are prohibited. In addition, our Prophet (pbuh) warned women who put additional hair on their heads, tattooed their skin, thinned their teeth in order to beautify them, and plucked their eyebrows and eyelashes, and told them that they would be away from divine mercy because they changed what Allah created.

Since facial hair that does not actually exist but grows later is not included in the prohibitions stated in the hadith; there is no harm if a woman removes it. Similarly, there is no harm if a woman removes the hair on her legs because it is not regarded as an organ like an eyebrow.

When we look at the fiqh books, we see the following decree regarding the removal of facial hair seen in men and making women ugly:

“Ibn Abidin states that beard and mustache are not natural in women; therefore, it is recommended to remove them (if they grow).” (Ibn Abidin, Raddul-Muhtar, VI, 373; Nawawi, XIV, 106) The most appropriate way to remove those hairs is not by shaving, but by plucking them with wax, powder or similar medical products.

Apparently, it is recommended for a religious lady to make herself attractive to her husband. It will also protect her husband from the attraction of other women.

Men, on the other hand, can have their excess hair removed from their cheeks, which are ugly and unsightly, other than their beard and moustache.

- Can men and women have epilation?

Epilation is the name given to the practice of burning the hair roots with needles, etc. and preventing the hair from growing again. This application is applied particularly on the face and hair that grows abnormally due to hormonal disorders.

Although it is not haram for men to epilate their body hair, it is not appropriate. The exception to it is the excess hair that is not natural and appears on the body due to reasons such as hormonal disorders, which spoil the appearance of a man and seem ugly. Men can have epilation in such cases.

Women can have their excess hairs that are not parts of the eyebrows, as well as hairs that grow on the face, such as mustache and beard, which are not part of a woman’s nature, removed.

Women’s eyebrows have a normal shape (shapes that are considered normal). Excess hairs that stick out beyond them, that look ugly, that make the owner look ugly and therefore disturb her can be removed. It is not permissible to thin normal eyebrows or change their location in accordance with fashion.

It is permissible for women to remove the hair on their arms and legs. In that case, it is also permissible to have epilation applied to such hair.

It is not permissible for women to have non-mahram men perform this epilation procedure because this situation is not a state of illness or a state of obligation. It is not permissible for a woman to show her parts of the body that must be covered to non-mahram men unless there is an obligation.

If the person to apply the epilation procedure is a woman, it is necessary to act in accordance with the awrah limitations between women. That is, it is not permissible for a woman who wants to have epilation to show her body parts between her navel and knees to another woman.

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