Ingrown Hair – Causes and Treatments
Ingrown hair is a very common problem. Unfortunately, it is also a very visible and noticeable one, showing up as raised, red, irritated skin in places like the face, legs, or bikini areas that are often shaved or waxed.
Recently, The View’s Whoppi Goldberg brought attention to the problem when she admitted that she removes her eyebrows because if she didn’t, they would only become ingrown and irritated. She said she finds it easier just to remove this coarse hair before it has the chance to become a problem.
Although Whoopi’s issue stems from the fact that her hair is coarse, there are other reasons hairs become entrapped underneath your skin.
Causes: In the most simple terms, hairs become ingrown when the individual hair curls back into the follicle and grows back into the skin. This can cause bumps, infection, and pain.
Generally, you will see this in areas where you shave or wax (beard, legs, bikini area), but it can occur anywhere. When the hair gets shaved or broken off, it is no longer pliable and tapered, but is instead sharp on the end (which is also true of coarse, beard, or pubic hair). This can cause irritation as the hair grows. As a result, a layer of skin is formed over the hair which then entraps it and keeps it from growing up and out as it normally would. This also occurs when the hair is cut / shaved much too short.
Tight or constrictive clothing can also cause this, but some people (like Whoopi) have hair which is prone to becoming ingrown without any help or stimulus. These folks often use exfoliation methods to regularly remove the excess skin layer that can entrap the hair. It’s important to be careful though because exfoliation that is too rough or intense can cause further inflammation.
Solutions / Treatment: These ingrown hairs can be painful, so it’s best to prevent them in the first place. Regular, (but very gentle), exfoliation (especially prior to shaving and waxing) can help thin the skin layer which can later trap the hairs. There are special pads available just for this purpose. Shaving and waxing with the grain is helpful also.
If you already have an ingrown hair, your goal is to free it from the restricting skin that is covering it so that you can remove it.
There are creams and lotions designed to gently dissolve and soothe this skin. There are also exfoliating pads that help to get rid of the “razor bumps” that commonly come in clusters.
Finally, for really severe cases, there are special, small, sharp tweezers that are made especially for ingrown hairs. They are designed so that you can gently penetrate the skin, uncurl and then release the hair, and then remove it as quickly and as painlessly as possible. (Tweeze it, especially if there are signs of pus or an infection. Don’t shave over it. Running a razor back over this damaged area can be extremely painful and will do more harm than good.)
Using dull, ineffective tools will only worsen the situation and cause more damage. Always sterilize both your skin and the tweezers with alcohol or an astringent so you don’t cause or worsen inflammation, infection, and pain. Applying aloe vera gel after removing the hair can help soothe the area.
Colton Kile – Internet researcher and writer, parent, enthusiastic learner.