Ingrown hairs are a real problem to get rid of, and while the problem usually resolves itself, you may want to nip it in the bud. Baldeep Farmah, Medical Director, Dr. Aesthetica spoke to The Express about it to find out everything you need to know about ingrown hairs, including how to remove them.
Although most of our body hair grow up and out Through our skin, an occasional stubborn hair can curl under the skin or grow sideways into the hair follicle; this is an ingrown hair.
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Baldeep said: «Ingrown hairs present as a dark or red bump and you can often see the hair itself under the skin.»
If you get ingrown hairs on a regular basis, you probably have thick, curly, or coarse hair, or it could just be your beard, pubic hair, or underarm hair (which is usually thicker than the rest of your hair).
Baldeep added:
“Rough shaving is the main culprit in producing ingrown hairs by creating a sharp point at the end of the hair.
If shaving, plucking, or waxing incorrectly, or even if constantly subjected to friction, such as rubbing against clothing, a person or a small number of hairs can form tender bumps that can later fill with pus.
This is a sign that the body is reacting to the hair as if it were a foreign body«.
Sometimes, however, ingrown hairs are just hair follicles that have naturally become clogged. with dead skin or dirt.
How to remove an ingrown hair
Ingrown hairs generally should not be removed because your body will take care of the problem.
However, the problem only resolves itself if you avoid causing more friction in the area, as the hair begins to grow naturally nback into and through the follicle.
Baldeep added: «At this point, often you can open the pore with a warm cloth and manipulate the hair».
Once you’ve opened up the pore, you can start stimulating the hair to unwind by smoothing it in the direction it’s supposed to grow.
Baldeep said:
“Don’t be tempted to rip it off as this will continue to repeat the problem. Just leave the area alone and allow the hair to grow out as usual.»
Once you have removed the hair, you will need to keep the area scrupulously clean for avoid infections and use a very mild exfoliating solution to minimize skin debris.
Baldeep warned:
“If the problem keeps coming back, you can try a medicated cream from your GP or use over-the-counter products such as tea tree oil or salicylic acidto keep your pores as clean as possible and prevent ingrown hairs from forming again.
From a skin therapy perspective, pulsed light therapy can work by preventing infections and resulting scarring, and laser hair removal is ideal for removing ingrown hairs and reduces long-term ingrown hair problems.»