Hair that becomes embedded beneath the skin can be a serious source of pain, irritation, and infection.
Shaving, waxing, tweezing and plucking all increase the risk of ingrown hairs. Laser hair removal provides a much safer and more effective solution. By targeting and killing off hair follicles directly, it prevents future production.
What Causes Ingrown Hairs?
Ingrown hairs form when shaved or tweezed hair becomes stuck beneath the skin after being cut or plucked out, rather than emerging through its surface. They may occur anywhere on the body but tend to occur more commonly where people shave, such as on their faces, necks, armpits or legs. Waxing can also be used to remove unwanted facial or body hair; waxing often leads to ingrown hairs becoming embedded beneath its surface instead.
Poor shaving technique, razor burn and over-tweezing can all lead to decreased growth of new hair follicles, making it harder for new hairs to emerge from beneath the surface of skin. Dead skin cells clogging hair follicles also makes this harder.
When hair grows into its surrounding tissue, the surrounding area often becomes red and itchy, as well as appearing like a small bump or pus-filled blister depending on its severity. More severe cases may lead to infected follicles causing pain, itching, or other symptoms; left untreated they could develop into pilonidal cysts which are filled with hair debris requiring surgical removal or drainage for relief.
Women and men both can suffer from ingrown hairs, but they’re most commonly found on the face, legs, armpits, neck, or pubic regions where people have unwanted or excess hair growth. Unfortunately, men have more facial hair which increases the likelihood of ingrown hairs becoming an issue due to hormonal influences.
Over-the-counter treatments for ingrown hair include home remedies like applying hot compresses, exfoliating or massaging with lotion; these may provide some temporary relief; however, laser hair removal offers the most effective means of dealing with them by targeting directly the hair follicle itself.
Laser treatment stands apart from other hair removal methods in that it disables hair follicles to produce hair, thus preventing ingrown hairs. To ensure maximum efficacy, at least eight laser sessions should be scheduled across a year with follow up treatments happening once or twice annually to maintain clear skin and stop unwanted hairs growing again.
How to Get Rid of Ingrown Hairs
Hair normally leaves its follicle and grows straight out, but if one turns around and grows back into the skin it creates an ingrown hair, which is difficult to get rid of and may become infected; an infected ingrown can resemble a pimple and be painful when touched.
When treating ingrown hairs, the first step should be keeping the area clean and avoiding aggressive removal methods like scrubbing and pulling with tweezers or razor. Doing this can cause hairs to break off inside the skin and form further ingrowns; therefore it’s best to let these resolve on their own. Instead, gently coax them out of their follicle using a warm washcloth, gently rubbing in circular motions against them can loosen and uncurl them as this helps loosen and uncurl them; beware not digging or scraping at them as this may lead to scarring and infection.
Exfoliation is key in order to avoid ingrown hairs after shaving. Physical scrubs or dry brushes may suffice if your skin isn’t overly sensitive; otherwise try chemical exfoliators with salicylic acid or lactic acid instead if your pores are more delicate. The goal should be removing dead cells that block the follicle so hairs can grow freely out.
Prevent ingrown hairs by keeping your skin moisturized; this will stop hairs from drying out and becoming clogged up, and help them grow freely without becoming ingrown hairs.
If ingrown hairs persist for more than a couple of weeks and become bothersome, consult a doctor or dermatologist immediately. OTC treatments may help relieve symptoms temporarily while long-term solutions, like waxing or laser hair removal could be recommended as more permanent solutions to get rid of unwanted hairs.
Laser hair removal works to permanently reduce hair growth by targeting and damaging hair follicles. This approach can prevent future ingrown hairs by eliminating their source, so don’t delay booking an appointment with SEV Laser!
How to Prevent Ingrown Hairs
If you suffer from ingrown hairs, it’s essential that you understand why they occur and how best to prevent them. Clogged follicles that cannot release new hair through the skin cause ingrowns; causes include shaving, waxing and tweezing as well as depilatory products, threading and electrolysis which reduce but don’t completely eliminate ingrowns; laser hair removal offers one solution which does this through its destruction of follicles.
Ingrown hairs are red, raised bumps that resemble pimples in appearance. They may become irritating, itchy and even painful over time and could potentially become infected leading to permanent scarring.
Avoiding ingrown hairs requires several measures, such as using an electric razor with reduced friction, using shaving gel or cream beforehand and exfoliating regularly – being careful to not scrub too hard as this could irritate and damage hair follicles.
As part of a healthy hair routine, it’s advisable to refrain from tweezing and plucking, which can result in ingrown hairs as well as increase their likelihood of coming back. You can attempt to gently tweeze an ingrown hair away but take care not to puncture the skin or cause further damage; otherwise a dermatologist or hair specialist could be of help in clearing it away by hand.
As part of your efforts to prevent ingrown hairs, using chemical exfoliators such as baking soda or other ingredients and massaging the skin with warm water before shaving can help. Shaving in the direction of hair growth rather than against it is also advised, and use moisturizer after. Furthermore, never pop an ingrown hair cyst as this could lead to infection; try softening hair and skin instead with warm compresses or gentle exfoliants such as gentle exfoliant products; for severe cases laser hair removal could permanently destroy its follicle and prevent future ingrowns from ever returning.
Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal is a safe, permanent way to get rid of unwanted hair. Additionally, when performed by an experienced dermatologist it can even prevent ingrown hairs! A qualified dermatologist has extensive training using medical-grade lasers as well as understanding how different skin tones react during treatment; thus ensuring safe results without the risk of burns, scarring or hyperpigmentation that comes from untrained practitioners.
Laser hair removal uses pulses of light to target and destroy pigmented hair follicles, rendering them incapable of producing new hairs that will penetrate through your skin’s surface and penetrate further into its layers. Any remaining follicles will produce hairs that are finer and lighter in color – helping reduce ingrown hairs or razor bumps altogether.
Before and after having laser hair removal treatment, make sure you follow all instructions from your dermatologist regarding pre- and post-treatment preparation and recovery. This will reduce risk of infection while making it easier for the laser beam to penetrate skin layers more deeply. Shaving is also highly recommended before each appointment so that laser can target hair follicles effectively.
Permanent hair reduction typically requires between three and eight sessions to achieve, depending on factors like hair color, coarseness and thickness as well as hormonal influences. Once all required sessions have been completed, you will enjoy smooth skin free of ingrown hairs or razor bumps!
Ingrown hairs can be an annoying and difficult problem to solve. With help from a dermatologist, ingrown hairs can be treated and you can return to enjoying life without constantly dealing with unwanted pesky little strands of hair. Contact us to schedule a consultation for laser hair removal and other rejuvenating dermatological treatments such as Tribeca or Uptown treatments! We look forward to meeting you soon!