Ingrown hair symptoms and treatment

Ingrown hairs are more common in males than women. They mostly appear on the beard including cheeks and chin. Men who shave their hair can also have them on their scalp while female will mostly have them in public area and armpits. Common symptoms of ingrown hairs include rounded, solid and small bumps on the skin. Some people will also have small blister like lesions filled with pus. Skin darkening or hyper pigmentation is a common symptom to watch out for as well. Experiencing pain and itching should also warn you that you need to look for an ingrown hair treatment to contain the situation. 

Occasional ingrown hairs are characterized by embedded hair and shouldn’t be a cause of alarm as such. However, there are times when you need to see a doctor and seek medical help. Normally, ingrown hair can be a chronic condition and in such cases, you should visit your doctor and have the condition managed professionally. Women with some ingrown hairs resulting from excessive growth of unwanted hair, a condition known as hirsutism should consult a doctor. The doctor will examine if the excess hair is resulting from treatable abnormalities of hormones like polycystic ovary syndrome in which case the doctor will prescribe an ingrown hair treatment. 

Luckily, it is possible to prevent growth of ingrown hairs or at least prevent their advancement into a more serious condition. Medical experts advise people to rub their faces on a daily basis a clean wet cloth in circular motion. An exfoliating scrub can also help in teasing some stubborn ingrown hairs that are starting to show up. When shaving beard, men should do so using a single bladed, sharp razor. Make sure that you wet the skin using warm water and use lubricating gel before shaving. Hair should be shaved in the direction in which it is growing and shaving shouldn’t be done too close to the skin surface. There are some hair removal methods that can be used as an ingrown hair treatment or a prevention procedure for that matter.

Make sure that you avoid removing your hair with methods that are highly likely to cause ingrown hair. You could for instance use depilatory creams for burning off hair rather than shaving your beard using a blade always. Electrolysis or electric current and laser ingrown hair treatment can be used to remove hair follicles permanently. Characteristically, ingrown hairs mostly involve the legs, bikini area and the beard. However, they can still occur in other locations such as the face, thighs, neck and buttocks. While it is still possible, it’s rare to have ingrown hair on the entire body. They also do not affect certain parts of the body such as the mouth, vagina, palms or feet soles. Once diagnosed, an effective ingrown hair treatment should be used. Doctors can at times use skin biopsy in confirming diagnosis and prescribing medication. It is recommended that you visit a dermatologist to have the condition examined closely and avoid confusion with similar medical conditions.