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.
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.
Signs of an ingrown hair include a red or raised bump, or you may have larger painful bumps similar to cysts or boils. Ingrown facial hair can also be itchy, uncomfortable, and unsightly. But in most cases, this problem improves on its own without treatment.
Ingrown hairs frequently go away on their own without any specific treatment. 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.
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.
Ingrown hair cysts occur when a hair follicle gets blocked and the hair grows into your skin instead of outward. You should never pop an ingrown hair cyst because it can cause infection and scarring. They may go away on their own, but if they hurt, become red, or ooze pus, see a healthcare provider.
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.
Other possible skin conditions
There are many skin conditions that can easily be mistaken for ingrown hairs. These include: keratosis pilaris ('chicken skin') – a common, harmless condition where the skin becomes rough and bumpy, as if covered in permanent goose pimples. acne.
How to identify a cyst. Share on Pinterest Dry skin may indicate that the problem is not a cyst. When a lump appears in an area where there is body hair, it may be because a cyst has formed around an ingrown hair. A person should look for a small red bump with a hair in it that slowly grows into a bigger lump.
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.
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 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.
PFB Vanish + Chromabright should be used after showering, and with ingredients including salicylic acid and glycolic acid, the roll-on product works to unclog pores and brighten areas of scarring caused by previous ingrown hairs or nicks from shaving.
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.
A GP may be able to treat ingrown hairs by: freeing the hair using a sterile needle or blade (scalpel) prescribing a steroid cream to help swelling and irritation. prescribing antibiotic cream or tablets to treat an infection.
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.
If you already have ingrown hairs, massage the area gently with the washcloth or a soft toothbrush. Rinse the area with water. Massage the area with your shaving cream of choice, using a moderate amount of lather. Avoid shaving on dry areas—reapply lather as often as you need to.
Washing the affected area with soap and warm water.
Rubbing the ingrown hair in a circular motion for 10 to 15 seconds with light pressure can soften skin and encourage the hair to pop out.
A dab of antibiotic ointment (like Neosporin) can also help. But if redness forms around the ingrown hair or it starts to ooze with pus and becomes tender, visit your dermatologist, stat.
Apply aftershave moisturizer
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. Witch hazel also stops bacteria from growing in hair follicles.
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.
If the ingrown hair is inflamed, your dermatologist may recommend applying a hydrocortisone cream to the area, but it may require an oral antibiotic if the inflammation is severe.
To treat ingrown hair, stop shaving, tweezing or waxing until the condition improves — usually 1 to 6 months.
The most common symptom of an ingrown hair is redness and inflammation of the skin. This is followed by pus formation. If left untreated, or allowed to happen repeatedly, permanent scarring can occur. But each person may experience symptoms differently.