3 Simple Ways to Remove Deep Ingrown Hairs

how to remove an ingrown hair

Infections can occur if a person does not treat the hair or if they have a weakened immune system. If you're dealing with little bumps on your butt then there’s nothing to be ashamed of. They can appear on places where that dead skin cells block the hair follicles. The good news is that there are lots of really useful ways to treat ingrown hairs – and prevent them from happening, in the first place.

What medications are used to treat ingrown hair?

how to remove an ingrown hair

How to prevent ingrown hairs mainly revolves around proper hair removal techniques. If you want to prevent an ingrown hair, or even worse, an infected ingrown hair, you should never shave any part of your body dry. Always wet the area well with warm water and apply a high-quality, natural shaving cream first to soften the hairs.

Put Down the Tweezers: Here's the Safest Way to Get Rid of Ingrown Hairs

It can also help to allow the hair to grow longer prior to shaving it. Ingrown hairs are an irksome issue, to be sure, but you’re far from alone in your irritation. In fact, this is a common problem for anyone who shaves, waxes, or plucks—an essential part of many people’s grooming routines, especially now that the sun is out and more skin is showing. These annoying—and sometimes painful—ingrown hairs happen when the hair that was removed grows back, then curls into the skin instead of out. The body responds as if the hair was a foreign invader, sending its “troops” to fight them off by way of inflammation, itching, redness, and bumps. There are a few different things that cause ingrown hairs, some of which you can't control, some of which you can.

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Ingrown hairs occur more frequently in areas that experience a lot of friction, such as the thighs. There will be a painful bump and swelling, and you may notice pus. Don’t dig for the hair, as this increases the risk of causing or spreading an infection.

Elemis Skin Brush with Bag

People with sensitive skin may benefit from using natural or hypoallergenic products on their legs. Shaving cream adds moisture and reduces friction when the razor glides over the skin. You might have small bumps with hairs in the middle of your face and neck or on other hairy places on your body. They can be small, swollen bumps where you shave, tweeze, or wax. Staph normally lives on your skin, and will not cause an infection unless it enters into open skin.

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how to remove an ingrown hair

In the days before your medical appointment, if possible, stop shaving or using any form of hair removal. If the deep ingrown hair is giving you a lot of trouble and lasts more than a couple of weeks, it's a good idea to see a doctor. "If an ingrown hair persists after about two weeks or begins to worsen in appearance, I recommend seeing a dermatologist for help," Engelman says. Squeezing an ingrown hair will increase the risk of infection. If an infection is present, squeezing the bump may worsen it. This can help ease the ingrown hair out of the skin on its own.

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This happens when bacteria from the skin’s surface get into the follicle; it could be from an accidental tear in the skin or from poking at an ingrown hair with unclean hands or tweezers, Dr. Clay explains. An infected ingrown hair will likely be painful, red, swollen, and may have a yellowish green fluid draining from it, she adds. Start by applying a warm compress to the area, since the heat will soften the skin, says Dr. Solomon. "Move a washcloth or clean, soft-bristled toothbrush over the area in a circular motion for several minutes," she suggests.

How do you treat infected ingrown hair?

They may also prescribe topical steroids or antibiotics to use in the future at the first sign of an ingrown hair to help prevent inflammation. Sometimes, dead skin can clog a hair follicle, which forces the hair to grow sideways under your skin rather than up and out. If you cut naturally curly hair too short, the sharpened end of the hair can pierce your skin, causing an ingrown hair. One way to use exfoliation to prevent ingrown hairs is to exfoliate before shaving the area. For example, if you frequently shave your legs, scrub your legs with an exfoliating body wash, loofah, or sponge.

Where do you get ingrown hairs?

An infected ingrown hair — also known as folliculitis — typically looks like a bump, a hard lump, or a cyst under the skin. 'Under no circumstance should you attempt to pop or squeeze ingrown hairs, as this will only increase the chance of infection. Severe local skin infections can, in turn, increase the likelihood of scarring and the whole process will be very painful,' says Dr Liakas. If you’re wondering how to get rid of ingrown hairs on legs or any other area of your body, you’ll want to avoid wearing clothing that is tight and/or not breathable. Wearing clothing like this over an area where you have an ingrown hair can only make the situation worse.

They look like small red dots on your skin, roughly the size of a pimple, and can become infected. If you have a stubborn ingrown hair, try loosening it with an exfoliator and a warm compress, and then pulling the hair loose with a pair of sterile tweezers. These products contain ingredients commonly found in acne medications, such as benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and glycolic acid.

As important as it is to get rid of an ingrown hair, it’s also crucial to start thinking about how to prevent the next one from cropping up. If shaving worsens your condition, you might want to try a chemical hair removal product (depilatory), such as Nair, Magic, others. If you shave or wax with any sort of regularity, there is a 97.6 percent chance you've had an ingrown hair, one of the most annoying (and painful) beauty problems. If bacteria or other pathogens enter the skin, an infection can develop, leading to a painful bump.

Ingrown hairs form when a hair follicle is unable to get past a clogged pore, forcing the strand of hair to curl back in. This undesirable growth pattern of a hair growing back into the skin is more likely to occur after hair removal, including shaving, tweezing or waxing. Men with very curly hair get a type of ingrown hair called pseudofolliculitis barbae, or razor bumps, in the beard and neck areas, with African American men being more likely to experience this problem. Over time, the bumps become hard and can even develop keloidal scarring—a smooth, raised scar that arises in areas of inflammation. Experts recommend you stop shaving, tweezing, plucking, or waxing the area where you have ingrown hairs because they usually go away on their own in a couple of weeks.

Razors that do not effectively shave will leave hairs behind and pull hairs. Remember, if it is already deeply embedded into your skin, leave it alone and contact a doctor. First, gently wash the area of the ingrown hair using mild soap and warm water. Make sure the water is not too hot or cold and that the soap is unscented to avoid irritation. If the ingrown hair is not yet irritated, you may exfoliate the area.

“If you have an ingrown that’s red, hot, swollen or getting worse, or if you have a fever,” it is likely infected and you need to get to the doctor. “Most of the time when I see this in my office, the person says, ‘I had an ingrown and tried to pop it and made it worse,” she says. Occasionally, infections can turn into an abscess and need to be drained. We can all agree, it's best not to get ingrown hairs in the first place, so here's how to prevent ingrown hairs — and what to do if you wind up with one or more. Whether a current ingrown hair is bothering you or you're looking for prevention tips, keep reading to learn all you need to know about how to remove a deep ingrown hair safely, straight from dermatologists. Preventing ingrown hairs can decrease your risk of related infections.

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