If you can see an ingrown hair beneath the skin, apply a warm, damp compress for a couple of minutes to soften the skin, says Rodney Basler, MD. Then sterilize a needle or tweezers and pluck the hair. Follow with an antiseptic such as hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol.
To remove an ingrown hair, gently exfoliate your skin. Exfoliating your skin removes a dead layer of skin cells and helps release ingrown hairs. Use warm — not hot — water and small, circular motions to wash your affected areas with a washcloth, exfoliating brush or exfoliating gel or scrub.
Release visible ingrown hairs by inserting a sterile needle under each hair loop and gently lifting the tip that has grown back into the skin. Rinse your skin and apply a cool, wet cloth for a few minutes. Then use a soothing after-shave product.
Treatment of Razor Bumps
Many over-the-counter products including those containing benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid or glycolic acid are readily available to clear razor bumps and reduce the severity of future break outs.
To help expedite the process, you can also apply a warm, steamy cloth over the affected area. If you notice a loop of hair at the surface, you can use sterilized tweezers to gently pull the trapped hair out, but don't dig around for it. Follow up with rubbing alcohol to help prevent any infection.
Use a benzoyl peroxide cream. This ingredient found in OTC acne medicines can help dry up the affected area and reduce redness. Moisturize. A non-greasy moisturizer can get rid of dead skin cells, which often clog follicles and contribute to ingrown hairs.
Picking or popping the ingrown hair will only increase your risk of infection because it exposes the follicle to bacteria. Picking the skin can also cause scars. Although ingrown hairs can be uncomfortable at times, they're best left alone.
Share on Pinterest Ingrown hairs are not dangerous, but they can be painful. When a hair grows into the skin, a fluid-filled lump can develop, which may become a cyst. When a cyst forms, the area becomes swollen. A cyst may be hard, soft, large, or smaller than a pea.
Apply aftershave moisturizer
Applying moisturizer or creams can keep your skin and facial hair soft between shaves. Get into the habit of applying cold water or witch hazel to your face immediately after shaving or waxing. Both can reduce irritation, tighten pores, moisturize, and help treat ingrown hairs.
Use salicylic acid
Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid that unclogs pores, sloughs off dead skin cells, and treats inflammation, allowing razor bumps to heal. Salicylic acid can also help treat acne, according to the AAD, so it may be a good option for individuals with both acne and razor bumps.
Often, an ingrown hair will go away on its own. But if it doesn't, you could have: An infection. Darkened skin.
If you get an ingrown, it's best to leave it alone until the bump and redness disappear. Dr. Gross recommends using a warm compress, and eventually the hair will grow out on its own. You should also hold off on grooming the area (that means waxing, shaving, and plucking) until the ingrown has cleared up.
There's a chance an ingrown hair could heal on its own in as quickly as a week or two, Dr. Hayag says, but it may take longer if it gets infected. Sometimes it takes around a month, according to the Mayo Clinic, but it can take up to six months for hairs that are really stuck in there.
They should disappear on their own within 1 to 2 weeks.
Improper hair removal
The most common cause of ingrown hairs is an improper shaving technique. Cutting hair very close to the skin creates a very sharp tip on the end of each of the hairs. Most of these hairs will grow back out without a problem. However, some hairs can curl back on themselves and grow into the skin.
Ingrown hair cysts will often go away on their own in a week or so. 3 If you can, stop shaving the area while it heals, and keep the area clean and moisturized.
"One of the worst things to do when having ingrown hair is to continue to shave and remove hair in the affected region," Dr. Elbuluk advises. "It is best to wait until razor bumps have resolved before going back to shaving or engaging in further hair removal at the site."
You read that right. Stop shaving, waxing, or any hair removal methods in the area you have ingrown hairs. Don't squeeze or pluck the hair, as it can introduce an infection. Apply a warm compress and gently exfoliate the area.
Ingrown hairs can look like raised, red, itchy spots on the skin. Sometimes you can see a hair trapped under the skin. You may be more likely to get ingrown hairs if you have coarse or curly hair. Infected ingrown hairs can be painful.
avoid squeezing the spots because it can damage the skin and lead to infection. if an ingrown hair is near the surface of your skin, you can use a sterile needle or tweezers to gently tease it out - don't dig for the hair if it lies deep below the skin's surface.
Ingrown hairs look like red or brown bumps, and can be confused with pimples. If the bump is in an area where you shave, it's probably an ingrown hair and not a pimple (if it's in an oily area of your skin, like the nose/chin, it's likely a pimple).
At first, you might notice a small pimple-like bump with a hair at its surface. It may also be red in color. Over time — if the ingrown hair doesn't go away — the small bump can transform into a much larger one. The resulting bump can be red, white, or yellow.
What it looks like. An ingrown hair cyst is a lump beneath the skin. It will not have a visible head and may be red, white, or yellow. The cyst may also be painful or tender to the touch.
Start by applying a warm compress to the area, since the heat will soften the skin, says Dr. Solomon. Then, very gently, exfoliate the skin trapping the hair. “Move a washcloth or clean, soft-bristled toothbrush over the area in a circular motion for several minutes,” she suggests.
“Just like you might with a deep or painful pimple, use a warm compress to help soften the skin and bring the infection closer to the surface,” says Dr. Yadav. “Then cleanse the area and use a sterile pointed tweezer to carefully expose the hair and remove it.