How to get rid of ingrown hair permanently

Why does ingrown hair appear?

You have tight curly hair … Owners of such hair most often suffer from ingrown hairs. The reason is in curved follicles.
You shave dry skin … The razor sharpens the ends of the hair. Especially if you don't wet your skin with water or use gels, foams, or other emollients. The sharp hair can easily enter the skin and continue to grow underneath.
You stretch your skin while shaving … Trying to shave off a hair at the root is not doing better. On the contrary, you leave a pointed tip under the skin. And most likely, he will never get out.
You pluck your hair … Sometimes tweezers or wax do not completely remove the hair; some of it remains under the skin. And here the same thing happens as in the previous paragraph.
There are many dead cells on the surface of the skin … They clog the follicle and prevent the hair from growing as expected.
You wear tight clothes … It also prevents hair from growing properly.

What does ingrown hair look like?

Distinguishing an ingrown hair from a pimple can be tricky because the signs are very similar:

bumps (papules);
bumps filled with pus (pustules);
swelling of the skin;
darkening of the skin (hyperpigmentation);
pain when touched;
constant pain if there is inflammation;
itching.

The main difference is the hair visible under the skin.

How to properly remove ingrown hair

Ingrown hair is a common problem that does not always require urgent action. The easiest way to get rid of it is if the hair is shallow and the skin is not inflamed: there is no swelling, redness, pain and traces of pus. It is important.

If you are sure that there is no inflammation, follow the simple instructions.

Remove dead skin cells

They clog the follicle, prevent the hair from growing. Therefore, you need to get rid of them. Use a scrub, special washcloths or, for example, a sponge konnyaku, matched to your skin type. Be careful not to irritate or damage live skin.

Make a compress

Dampen a towel or clean cloth with warm water. You can add a few drops of tea tree oil as it has antiseptic properties. Apply the compress to the ingrown hair and leave it on for a few minutes.

Wait for the tip of the hair to come out

If the hair does not appear on the surface immediately, you will have to repeat it all over again. Scrub your skin and apply a compress no more than twice a week. For those with sensitive skin, it is better to limit yourself to one go: frequent exfoliation procedures can cause irritation and redness.

Remove hair with clean tweezers

Gently grab the tip of the hair that appears with tweezers to avoid touching your skin.

How to remove ingrown hair with tweezers

Pull slowly, not sharply. If the hair breaks off at the root, the problem may recur.

What to do if an ingrown hair needs to be removed urgently

If you don't want to wait for the tip of a hair to show up, move on to drastic measures. Remember, getting rid of an ingrown hair quickly means damaging living skin cells.

And yes, never touch the inflamed skin. You risk making it worse.

Prepare your skin

Remove dead skin cells with a scrub and compress as described above.

Disinfect instruments and skin

Apply a special disinfectant (available at the pharmacy) or rubbing alcohol to a cotton pad. Treat the skin, needle, and tweezers. If you are using a pharmacy, read the instructions. You may need to soak the needle and tweezers in the solution for a while.

Disinfect your hands with an antiseptic or wear gloves.

Pry up your hair with a needle

Gently pick up the hair with the needle, trying to damage the skin as little as possible, and pull.

How to remove an ingrown hair with a needle

Do not poke through the skin with a needle. You just need to make it so that you can grab the hair with tweezers.

Remove hair with tweezers

Grab a hair with tweezers and remove it without sudden movements. Pull gently to avoid tearing your hair.

Treat the damaged area

Disinfect the damaged area after removing the hair. Especially if you overdid it and a bleeding wound has formed.

What to do if an ingrown hair is causing inflammation

Inflammation can appear due to a foreign body and an infection accidentally brought under the skin.

You have inflammation if:

the skin around the hair turns red;
a bump has formed, inside which pus accumulates;
the skin around is warmer than elsewhere;
touching causes severe pain;
the pain does not go away even if the ingrown hair is not touched.

Don't try to pull your hair out

You can get an infection and enlarge the area of inflammation, and a scar may remain at the site of the lesion.

Treat the inflamed area

Make sure your hands are clean and apply an antiseptic to the inflamed skin. For example, with benzoyl peroxide - this component is found in many acne remedies.

Repeat the procedure according to the instructions that come with the product.

Watch for changes: if the inflammation does not go away within a few days, the affected area grows or the pain intensifies, consult a specialist.

See a doctor

As long as the ingrown hair - a foreign body - is under the skin, the inflammation will likely not go away. Since you cannot remove hair yourself, you will have to go to a cosmetologist or dermatologist.

If the inflammation is severe, do not self-medicate or wait for the situation to become critical. Only a doctor can prescribe the correct treatment.

You also need to see a doctor if you have a lot of ingrown hairs on your body or they appear very often.

What to do to prevent hair from growing in

Ingrown hairs can become a chronic problem and cause you a lot of hassle: cause bacterial infection and inflammation of the follicles, age spots and scars. Therefore, it is so important not to let the hair grow in.

Choose alternative methods of hair removal: special cream (do an allergy test) or laser hair removal.
Scrub, cleanse and moisturize your skin regularly. Especially before depilation.
If you decide to shave, follow the rules. A few minutes before the procedure, moisten the skin with warm water, apply a shaving cream or gel, or apply a warm compress. Use only a sharp razor and wet it after each stroke. Shave in the direction of hair growth and do not pull on your skin. Apply a moisturizing lotion or aftershave cream.
Try to avoid clothing that is too tight.