Ingrown hairs that do not resolve on their own may require treatment by a dermatologist. This includes depilatories for hair removal, topical antibiotics, topical creams, laser therapy and/or medical removal of the ingrown hair.
If an ingrown hair is bothering you or gets infected, your doctor can make a small cut with a sterile needle or scalpel to release it. They may also prescribe medicine such as: A steroid that you put on your skin to ease the swelling and irritation.
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.
In the days before your medical appointment, if possible, stop shaving or using any form of hair removal. Ingrown hair may worsen at first as the hair grows back.
Ingrown hairs don't require medical treatment unless they become infected. Signs of an infected ingrown hair include: a large amount of pus.
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.
Ingrown hairs are not usually dangerous, but they can be intensely painful. If an infection is left untreated, it may worsen or travel to the blood.
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.
Instead of shaving, give waxing a try.
Unlike shaving the hair, waxing doesn't result in those extra-sharp tips that are more likely to curl back into your skin. In that way, waxing can reduce your chances of getting an ingrown hair.
Waxing significantly reduces the chance of ingrowns due to hair being removed from the root instead of chopped at the surface, as it is with shaving.
One ingrown hair may form a cyst — a red, yellow, or whitish lump beneath the skin. These cysts are usually no cause for concern, and they may resolve on their own. A doctor may only recommend treatment if a cyst causes pain or other symptoms, or if it becomes infected or inflamed.
Laser hair removal is the best and only real effective choice for getting rid of ingrown hairs quickly. This is because laser hair removal goes straight to the source of the problem, the root or hair follicle. The laser hits the follicle directly, burning away the follicle's ability to produce hair.
Ingrown hair occurs when a hair that's been removed starts to grow back and curves into the skin. Shaving, tweezing or waxing can cause this to happen. An ingrown hair can cause tiny, swollen bumps on the skin that may hurt. The condition most often affects Black people with curly hair who shave.
If you get ingrown hairs frequently, or the hair is still trapped under the skin (or you don't have a sterile needle), see your dermatologist.
Ingrown hairs that are seriously irritated and/or infected are best treated by a board-certified dermatologist. A dermatologist can also recommend a regimen of anti-bacterial washes and creams as well as topical retinoids that can help treat the area and prevent future ingrown hairs.
However, the minor surgery to remove an ingrown toenail is mostly painless, and if you follow the doctor's aftercare instructions, your toe should heal with little discomfort. Most patients resume normal activity without restrictions within a few days.
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.
Fur Ingrown Concentrate
Made of natural ingredients including coconut oil and tea tree oil, Fur's Ingrown Concentrate moisturizes skin and reduces irritation caused by existing ingrown hairs. Applied before or after you bathe, the concentrate can be used daily or as needed.
Ingrown hairs appear when a strand of hair curls into the skin and grows in the wrong direction after waxing. Ingrown hairs can occur as a result of the hair is not completely being removed after you wax. The remaining hair reverts under the skin and starts to grow beneath the surface.
For starters, ingrown hairs often appear in clusters of raised red bumps. They also often cause fluid-filled cysts to appear which may feature a white or yellow head (much like an infected pimple), plus they can become itchy and sore. Skin cancer lesions, on the other hand, tend to appear as single moles or bumps.
Is the bump painful? Infected ingrown hairs can hurt when you apply pressure to them, just like a facial pimple can hurt if you touch or squeeze it. However, the pain usually isn't as severe as a herpes sore.
Moisturize liberally.
Moisturize your skin, even if it doesn't feel dry, to help soothe irritation and make ingrown hairs go away faster.. Doing so will keep your skin soft so your hairs can push out of your skin and your skin can heal.
Since this can be uncomfortable, itchy, or painful, this makes ingrown hairs more likely to get infected, especially if they're picked at or rubbed. When this happens, damage to the skin and scarring may result. Changes to your skin may result after infection and can include keloid scarring or hyperpigmentation.
Laser hair removal does require a series of treatments, typically at least 8 and facial hair may need maintenance treatments 1 to 2 times a year after completing a series just to keep the ingrowns at bay. Facial hair growth is hormonally driven and that's why it may always require on-going maintenance treatments.