Ingrown Hairs description and remedies

Ingrown hairs and how to treat or remove them

Ingrown Hair

When you shave, a remnant of each hair is left in the hair follicle. Modern multi blade razors are designed to cut the hair closer than the old fashioned single blade razors. In fact the principle behind multi blade razors is that the leading blade pulls the hair out of the skin ever so slightly as it cuts it. The following blade then cuts off the hair protrusion before it has a chance to spring back. Each set of up to 4 blades consequently cuts the hair shorter theoretically giving you a smoother and more lasting shave. Logically after the blades have passed the hair retracts into the follicle and the hair has to grow from lower down. The ingrown hair problem is exacerbated by tensioning the skin during shaving. Electric razors and personal shavers don't shave quite as close and you don't get ingrown hairs.

Similarly when you wax the hair grows again from below the surface of the skin. Waxing may also cause the hair to break off at or just below the surface instead of being pulled out in its entirety. This occurs as the hair gets finer with continuous waxing. Shaving and waxing have a desiccating effect on the skin causing the skin to become dry and brittle.

As each individual hair starts to grow out of the follicle, it may immediately curve round into the surrounding skin, instead of coming out all nice and straight. The ingrowing hair obviously irritates the skin on its way out and can cause a lumpy reaction. This is especially prevalent in black skin for some reason. The next time you shave, you will nick the tops of the lumps, worsening the inflammation and perhaps allowing an infection to occur.

In the case of the pubic area and in fact the general body area hair is more curly and shaving may not be as frequent as facial hair. Growing hairs may be deviated from the surface and grow in a circular motion below the surface of the skin. The ingrowing hair becomes entrapped in the cutaneous layer of the skin. You may not even know its there for a few days or weeks.

An ingrown hair will eventually case a bump which needs some attention. An ingrown hair may also become infected with bacteria or fungus. Typically the bacteria is the staphylococci bacteria.

How to prevent ingrown hairs

Well obviously prevention of ingrown hairs is better than cure. Here are a few things you can do on a daily basis as a routine way of preventing ingrown hairs:-

Don't shave or wax - its obvious!
Don't tension the skin
Avoid too close a shave
Use an electric razor or personal shaver.
Use an ordinary single-blade razor
Prepare your skin thoroughly before shaving
Shower or bath before you shave. This helps to soften the hair
Use a proper proprietary shaving preparation not soap
Allow the foam, gel or oil to soak into the hair before shaving
Shave in the direction of the growth of the hairs
Use a moisturizer or after shave to keep the skin supple
Use a proprietary exfoliant

How to detect ingrown hairs

The typical symptom of an ingrown hair is a reddish bump or a raised bump a day or so after shaving or waxing. The bump maybe infected and contain yellow puss. The condition is easy enough to detect - look for tiny yellow pustules, redness or inflammation around the individual hair follicles. If the area is is inaccessible, have someone else look at the suspect area as the condition may need treatment. Good lighting and a magnifying mirror may help.

Ingrown hair treatment

It's easy to remedy the ingrown hair problem. The problem is minor and even infected ingrown hairs can be quickly cured. If you can see the ingrowing hair or hairs, the first thing you need to do is to get the tips of the ingrowing hairs out of the skin. Soak a sponge, flannel or towel in hot water and put it on the skin for a few minutes to soften the hairs. Use clean tweezers to very gently pull the end of the hair out of the bump. Don't pull the whole hair out of the skin – just the loose end. If necessary cut the end of the hair that is curling back off just above the skin surface and leave it for a few days to settle down. If you cannot see the end of the hair use a fine needle which has been soaked in disinfectant to expose the hair much as you would remove a splinter. Free the end and cut it off. If the ingrown hair is encapsulated or infected the whole hair may come out.

If you think the ingrown hair is infected, use a mild antiseptic cream available from your pharmacy. If the antiseptic doesn't work, you may have a fungal infection in which case an antefungal ointment will generally do the trick. If these still ante fungal work, seek medical advice. The infection will also generally clear up of its own accord if you stop shaving. In any case designer stubble is in. Allow the hair in the infected area to grow out for a few days or weeks and then use an electric razor, a personal shaver or a depilatory cream.

You can try using an exfoliant to remove dead cells around each follicle. This is dubious as to its efficacy as wet shaving is a potent exfoliant in its own right. Exfoliants contain abrasive particles or chemical components to remove a micro layer of surface skin and this may free the end of the ingrown hair. Using an exfoliant if you have bumps may help by flattening the bumps out. Do NOT use an exfoliant if your skin is raw, bleeding, infected or inflamed. You can also try gently scrubbing the are with a natural sponge loofah or a mesh loofah. The emphasis is on gently scrubbing the area with the intention of freeing the hair end so that it can grow normally. Use a mild moisturizer after scrubbing to rehydrate the skin.

All of these follicle problems can be avoided by using an electric razor and our personal shavers are the best there are on the market and are specifically designed to prevent these conditions from arising with all their related discomforts.

Personal shavers should not be used to remove bulk hair in the pubic area, the underarm area or anywhere else for that matter. For this you need a personal trimmer such as our 'The Lady Fair' or "The Feminine' Models. The Feminine is a fine personal trimmer. You can read about it here. The Lady Fair is a wider and faster trimmer. You can read about The Lady Fair Trimmer here!

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Body Bare, Lady Fair and The Feminine Combo

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