Ingrown Hair Removal

Ingrown hairs are an annoying side effect of shaving, waxing, or other hair removal methods. Ingrown hairs occur when a hair curls over inside the hair follicles into the skin and grows in the wrong direction. By curling, the hair creates a foreign body reaction in the follicle and the result is red, irritated bumps that can become infected.

Prevention is the best cure for ingrown hairs.

How to Prevent Ingrown Hairs

There are several tips for preventing ingrown hairs:

• Wet the hair for at least 5 minutes before shaving, which makes the hair softer so it cuts more easily.
• Shave in the direction of hair growth, never against.
• Relax the muscles during shaving and waxing.
• When plucking, use sharp pointed tweezers and then clean the area with peroxide.
• Avoid repeating shaving strokes over the same area to prevent cutting hair too short.

Tips for Ingrown Hair Removal

In the early stage, the ingrown hair appears as a little white bump. Avoid shaving at all costs, as you could cause scarring. Disinfect the area and use clean tweezers to straighten out the hair follicle.

If the ingrown hair has moved to the reddish bump stage that means the hair is trapped under the skin and the affect area is irritated. Try lightly squeezing the ingrown hair to the surface. If you can grasp enough of the hair, pull it out with tweezers.

When doing ingrown hair removal, always remember to treat the ingrown hair area with sanitized equipment.