Ingrown hair

Alternative Names

Ingrown hair

What is Ingrown hair

An ingrown hair appears when a shaved or tweezed hair grows back into the skin causing inflammation and irritation. It is the most prevalent among black men ages 14-25. But an ingrown hair can affect anyone with tightly coiled hair who shaves, tweezes, waxes or uses electrolysis to remove hair.

Signs and symptoms

The common signs and symptoms of ingrown hair include:

• Small, solid, rounded bumps (papules)
• Small, pus-filled, blister-like lesions (pustules)
• Skin darkening (hyperpigmentation)
• Pain
• Itching
• Embedded hairs

Possible complications

Chronic ingrown hairs can cause:

• Bacterial infection (from scratching)
• Skin darkening (hyperpigmentation)
• Permanent scarring

What causes

Ingrown hair can affect everyone. But it is more prevalent in people who have very curly or coarse hair. Curly hair is more likely to bend back and re-enter the skin, especially after it is been shaved or cut.

Also, people with high levels of certain sex hormones can have excessive hair growth which makes it more likely to get ingrown hairs.

Prevention

There are some steps to prevent this problem:

• Every day, rub your face in a circular motion using a wet washcloth or an exfoliating scrub to tease out any stubborn ingrown hairs.
• Shave with a sharp, single-bladed razor.
• Wet your skin with warm water before shaving and apply a lubricating gel.
• Shave in the same direction your hair is growing.
• Use as few strokes of the razor as possible. That lessens the chance of a hair slipping back into your skin.
• Rinse the blade with water after every stroke.
• Do not shave too closely to your skin. Leave a little bit of stubble if you can.
• If you are using an electric razor, hold it slightly above the surface of your skin.
• Apply a cool washcloth to your skin after you shave to reduceirritation.

Treatment

In most cases, your doctor may recommend you the following medications to control your condition:

• Retinoids help remove dead skin cells from the surface of your skin (exfoliation) such as tretinoin (Renova, Retin-A, others). Retinoids can help alleviate the thickening (hyperkeratosis) and darkening (hyperpigmentation) of the skin that often occurs on dark skin prone to ingrown hairs.
• Corticosteroids. A topical steroid ointment can help control inflammation.
• Antibiotics. A topical antibiotic ointment can prevent infection caused by scratching the affected area. For more severe infection, your doctor may prescribe oral antibiotics.