How to remove ingrown hair?

On all occasions, good personal presentation is essential. For this reason, both men and women tend to shave different areas of the body, which causes a greater risk for the appearance of ingrown hairs, which sometimes cause severe discomfort and can even be a bit complicated to remove.
Ingrown hair, as ingrown hair is also known, is caused mainly by hair removal from different parts of the body. And, although it is more common when a blade is used, it can also occur with the application of waxes or depilatory creams and even with electric razors, being a condition that is difficult to avoid.
How to recognize it?
First of all, you must know how to recognize when an ingrown hair is forming. To do this, you must be aware if you get small, solid and rounded bumps. Also, they can be in small lesions similar to blisters with pus. Another characteristic to observe is that the area of the skin turns dark. In addition, you can feel pain, itching and, of course, you can already see the ingrown hair.
Once you already have ingrown hairs, the first thing you should not do is try to remove it by pressing with your fingers on the affected point or points, because with this what you are going to achieve is that it now becomes an infected hair, since you introduce bacteria into the skin lesion.
Instead, there are several home remedies that can help you, and thus avoid a visit to the medical specialist. The treatment can be based on infusions of chamomile. Aloe vera or aloe vera also serves as an antibacterial and at the same time helps in healing. For its part, apple cider vinegar also fulfills its antibacterial purpose and improves circulation. Other people recommend aspirin, spraying it as a poultice on the infection.
Susceptible areas and how to treat the condition
Folliculitis can be superficial or deep. The former affect only part of the follicle, while the latter compromise everything, the latter being the most serious. To treat this problem, the first thing is to know that if it is recurrent, it is recommended that you consult a specialist before any other treatment. In addition, when infection is suspected, the use of antibiotics with a mandatory prescription is necessary.
Next we will know which are the most frequent folliculitis.
In English
Ingrown hairs occur most often in the beard, chin, cheek, and neck area. They can also appear on the scalp, in the case of those who shave their heads. They also appear in the armpits, groin and legs.
The main reason for ingrown hair in the groin is hair removal, even when body shavers are used, because once the hair is cut, it does not grow through the hair follicle, which is its normal route, but instead goes under the skin. From there derives the redness of the area, reaching discomfort, a little pain and sometimes it may contain pus.
The precise term is groin folliculitis, the hair follicles or bags where the hair grows are generally inflamed due to a bacterial or fungal infection, which if not treated properly and in time can transform into a non-curable scaly ulcer.
When it is mild, it will suffice to apply some of the advice that we gave in the previous paragraphs. But if that is not enough and the condition spreads, a medical consultation is necessary, since an antibiotic or antifungal medication needs to be prescribed.
hidden
If you have wondered how to remove an ingrown hair that cannot be seen, you should know that it is a delicate procedure. In this case, the hair is removed with the use of sterilized tweezers. Afterward, the cyst is cleaned and the wound is healed, if any, continuing until it is completely healed.
armpits
When it comes to ingrown hair in the armpit, an area quite prone to this condition due to the accumulation of sweat and microorganisms, the first step is to clean with antibacterial soap, taking care to pat dry with a soft towel.
Later, if you see that a grain appears, do not go to burst it. To do this, apply hot water compresses for 5 to 10 minutes, remove it and dry well. If there are no pimples, proceed to do a gentle exfoliation with a specific product for embedded hairs that does not irritate the skin. At this point the hair should already be in a superficial layer, so with sterilized tweezers you can carefully remove it. To finish, apply an antiseptic product to prevent infections.
In the legs
On the other hand, something that mainly affects women is ingrown hairs on the legs, which normally cause redness, pain, inflammation and, of course, discomfort, as well as being unsightly because they look like pimples on the legs.
In this case, the same preventive measures that we explained previously are applied and, if they appear, you can also practice the home remedies that we have already seen, to which we will add the application of a few drops of essential oils and massages on the area. You can also take a piece of stale bread and soak it in hot milk and then place it on the ingrown hair.
How to avoid ingrown hairs
To prevent it from forming, here are some tips that are easy to follow and can prevent these annoying and painful conditions:
- When you wax, try to previously disinfect the area of your skin.
- The hot water vapor will open the pores for a more gentle and effective hair removal.
- Bladed machines should be changed frequently, as dull sharpness should be avoided.
- Always pass the machine in the same direction as the hair grows.
- Do not try dry hair removal, always moisturize the skin and preferably use shaving cream or gel.
- Exfoliate your skin as often as you can, with this you will eliminate dead cells and thin skin allowing the hair to grow in a healthy way, because if you do not eliminate them they obstruct the follicle and force the hair to grow laterally instead of going up.
Remember that it is best to prevent ingrown hairs, but if they do occur, it is advisable to treat them carefully, in order to prevent the infection from worsening.