Removing hair by shaving, waxing or tweezing can cause ingrown hairs. New hairs grow from hair follicles under your skin. Shaving, waxing and tweezing only remove hair strands — they don't remove hair follicles. When new hair grows, it may curl back and enter your skin.
Timing is everything when it comes to waxing: exfoliate 24-48 hours before your appointment to help wax stick to hair more effectively. After waxing, give your skin at least 48 hours to recover to avoid irritation. Preventing ingrown hairs doesn't stop there! Make sure you're using moisturizer on your skin every day.
Paradi Mirmirani, a dermatologist at Kaiser Permanente in Vallejo, Calif. Shaving is more likely than waxing or plucking to cause ingrown hairs because it tends to break off the hair just under the skin, which could push the hair into the skin's layers and interfere with its growing path, Dr. Mirmirani explained.
It's not uncommon to experience slight skin sensitivity after waxing, and this subsides quickly for most people. However, some guests can experience bumps after Brazilian wax treatments and other waxing services. Often, these bumps are a sign of folliculitis, a skin condition that develops due to inflammation.
If you have razor bumps but can't stop shaving, develop a consistent skin care routine such as the following to help control this condition: Shave at least twice a week. Don't tweeze ingrown hairs. Before shaving wash the affected area using a warm washcloth or soft-bristled toothbrush.
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.
Prevention. To help prevent ingrown hair, avoid shaving, tweezing and waxing.
The best antiperspirant deodorant for itchy armpits is also a great tool against ingrown hairs. Not only does it help soothe your skin and keep you fresh, but the active ingredients in antiperspirant also help to protect against those pesky ingrowns. If it gets worse, seek advice.
Waxing is one of the best ways to remove hair and prevent ingrown hair — especially in sensitive areas of the body like under arms, face and bikini line.
Negative side effects of waxing can include uncomfortable problems like pain, ingrown hairs, breakouts, and infected hair follicles. Even so, many people prefer waxing because of its longer-lasting results and because it is relatively inexpensive and easy to do.
Removing hair makes it more likely to grow back into the skin. Ingrown hairs can also be caused by wearing tight clothes that force hair to grow back into your skin. You are also more likely to get ingrown hairs if you have very curly or coarse hair.
Treatment for ingrown hair from a GP
A GP may be able to treat ingrown hairs by: removing the hair using a sterile needle or blade (scalpel) giving you a steroid cream to help swelling and irritation. giving you antibiotic cream or tablets to treat an infection.
However, breaking out after a hair removal waxing treatment is a normal occurrence. The red bumps on your skin are your skin's natural response to attempting to restore itself after each hair removal procedure. You shouldn't try to pop them because you'll simply make things worse.
A proper moisturizer, like a lotion or body oil, is recommended for daily use to loosen dead skin that can create ingrown hair. After your bath or shower apply a generous amount to all areas on the body. However, do not over moisturize places like your genital area, as it is already naturally moist.
Don't try to pick at or pop an ingrown pubic hair. This can irritate it and may make the pain worse. Messing with an ingrown pubic hair increases your risk of allowing bacteria to enter your skin, which can cause an infection. It may also lead to scarring or skin discoloration (hyperpigmentation) after it heals.
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.
Try a different hair removal process – Things like depilatory creams (like Nair) have less likelihood of producing ingrown hairs since the hair is dissolved rather than cut. Make sure to read the instructions and only use it on areas for which the product is approved.
Can Vaseline Be Applied on Ingrown Hair? Applying Vaseline to the skin can be beneficial as Vaseline acts as a moisturizer and protects the skin from friction and irritation, which can lead to ingrown hair.
Essential Oils. Tea tree oil, neem oil, geranium oil, grapefruit seed oil are very effective in treating folliculitis. Tea tree oil can be added to your shampoo, lotion or body wash. Rub it gently onto the affected area and let it sit.
Due to this difference in hair growth cycles, waxing hair when it's too short will make some of the hairs grow back within a couple of days (and in an uneven, prickly wax job), and others not for a week or two. This can turn into a never-ending cycle of mixed growth patterns, ingrown hairs, and breakouts.