Treat Ingrown Hair – 10 Point Checklist
Ingrown hairs can cause distress, especially if they appear on the face or visible parts of the body. The good news is you don’t have to suffer and just put up with it. There are ways to treat ingrown hair quite easily from home.
Use the following 10 point check list to educate yourself about ingrown hair and decide on your personal strategy for treating ingrown hair:
1. First let’s define what we are talking about. In medical terms, ingrown hairs are known as Psuedofolliculitis Barbae (PFB). Common expressions used to describe them include ingrowns, hair bumps, shaving bumps, razor burn and razor bumps.
2. Ingrown hairs are hairs that have been broken off or cut (often through hair removal methods) below the skin level. Then, instead of naturally growing out through the hair follicle, they choose their own exit path and penetrate surrounding tissue.
Alternatively, some hair that has come out of the hair follicle in the normal way can curl back and start growing into the skin.
Then again there can be a build up of dead skin cells which clog the hair follicle thus causing the hair to choose a different route out through surrounding tissue.
3. Shaving too close to the skin or improper waxing techniques can cause the hair to be cut or break off below the skin level. If a wax strip is not pulled off swiftly in a nice smooth motion, breaking of hair can result.
4. Ingrown hair can result in acute pain or even infection in worst case scenarios, or a tingling or sensitive sensation on areas of the skin.
5. Tweezing is a common method for treating ingrown hairs. Be sure to use needle point tweezers and make sure they are sterilizing before using them.
6. If you decide to use tweezers, it’s a good idea to have a magnification mirror so you can see close up what you are doing with the needle points and thus avoid taking out a chunk of skin at the same time.
7. Topical solutions are readily available to treat ingrown hairs. Kalo Ingrown Hair Treatment or Tend Skin are two of the most common. (See resource box below). You simply rub in the lotion about 3 times a day for a few days and the ingrown hairs naturally release themselves.
8. Some who are greatly bothered by ingrown hairs may choose to go for the more expensive option – laser treatment. For many this is a permanent solution as the hair is zapped with a pulse of light which disables the hair growth.
Be sure to do research on this option however as results can vary from individual to individual. It is wise to have a test done first with a qualified technician.
9. Use a loofah sponge to exfoliate the skin about once a week. This removes dead skin cells thus helping to avoid clogged hair follicles. Soothe the skin after exfoliation by using a body milk or moisturizing solution.
10. When shaving, make sure the hair has been wet for about 5 minutes. This makes it much easier to cut thus reducing drag and avoiding the problem of cutting the hair too short when it is pulled and then retracts below the skin level.
Conclusion
For many people ingrown hairs are a daily irritation. Using the above checklist should help you treat ingrown hair successfully at home. However, if the follicle becomes infected or if a person is suffering acute pain it is advisable to seek medical advice from your local qualified practitioner.
Mike Jones – I’m Mike Jones. I’ve been researching body care products for some years and written a number of articles on various health and body care subjects. …