Shaving is considered a form of:

Shaving is classified as depilation because it involves the removal of hair above the skin's surface. This process trims the hair down to the skin level but does not affect the hair follicle or the root beneath the skin. Depilation refers specifically to techniques that remove hair without destroying the hair structure or the follicle, such as shaving and using depilatory creams.

In contrast, epilation is different in that it entails removing hair from below the skin surface, which can include methods such as waxing, tweezing, or using an epilator. These methods pull the entire hair out, including the root. Electrolysis and thermolysis are methods of permanent hair removal that destroy the hair follicle with electricity or heat, respectively. Thus, shaving being a surface-level hair removal technique qualifies it as depilation.