Ingrown Hair

There are temporary solutions of removing unwanted hair on the face and body as well as some more permanent solutions.

Shaving, waxing, threading are temporary and do not get rid of ingrown hairs and may actually even aggravate the problem of ingrown hair.

Waxing and shaving may show immediate results with unwated hair removal but they do not permanently reduce hair. They also do not help ingrown hair

Electrolysis is permanent and may help with ingrown hair but is very time consuming and painful requiring several sessions.

Threading can help as it pulls out the hair from the root but it is indeed a very tedious task to undergo on the full body.

Laser hair removal is the number one option for permanent hair reduction today and for women with polycystic ovaries where the hormone imbalance causes excessive hair growth. It also helps with ingrown hair over a period of time when the hair growth itself decreases. Laser destroys hair because the laser energy is absorbed by the melanin pigment in the hairs which heats up and destroys the root. Over a period of time after 6-8 sittings the hair growth is considerably reduced by 80% or more.

Ingrown hair happens when the hair follicle is obstructed at the exit on the skin and it starts curling back into the skin or growing sideways. This causes a tiny bump which looks red on the skin and may feel rough and get infected if being scratched

These ingrown hair occur mostly in areas of thick facial growth such as beard, underarm, groin, legs. The hair here is also sharp so its very likely to penetrate skin back if the follicle is obstructed by dead cells etc

If you do want to shave the growth on the face, use a sharp razor and use it in the direction of the hair growth. Do not shave hair too close to the skin and use only few strokes. Also use a shaving foam or gel and use a moisturizer afterwards

It also helps to mechanically exfoliate the dead skin on top of the ingrown hair. Rub the area gently with a pumice stone and exfoliate 2-3 times a week and moisturize afterwards. This gets rid of dead skin and makes the skin lot more softer exposing and extruding the ingrowing hair to the surface of the skin

If the skin over the ingrown hair looks red and itchy it maybe infected and it maybe better to see a dermatologist who will see if this needs antibiotics.