Stubborn ingrown hairs
Ingrown hairs are an annoying skin problem that can happen to anyone if you miss shaving now and then, but are particularly common for people with sensitive skin (like me). One of the worst things about them is that they can be very stubborn, cropping up again and again in the same spots. Even if you have otherwise clear skin, you may be susceptible to them.
So how do you deal with problem areas of your skin where ingrown hairs are common? First, make sure you’re shaving properly and regularly. Make gentle motions with your razor and don’t shave against the grain. Make sure to replace your blades [i]before[/i] you notice any pulling, and if your razor is simply irritating your skin too frequently (your skin requires an adjustment period with any new type of razor, but if irritation continues…) don’t just put up with it, start shopping for a new razor. Remember that if you have sensitive skin, the closest shave is not always the best shave.
You are most susceptible to ingrown hairs when you shave irregularly. Try to avoid letting your beard grow out on the weekends, etc. - as your skin is more likely to get damaged when your hair has grown out. Your razor is less likely to pull on hairs if there is less to pull on, so it’s always better to shave more frequently rather than less.
Sometimes real life gets in the way, and you find you have to deal with actually removing an ingrown hair. If it is buried within the skin, but still clearly visible, you can use a sterilized needle to release the hair. Only consider this if the hair is very near the surface, as you don’t want to cause long-lasting scars. Deeper hairs will usually make their way to the surface eventually, but you may want to see a dermatologist in extreme cases.
When ingrown hairs burst through the surface (either on their own or with your help), they can sometimes leave a groove in your skin. These grooves can sometimes take seemingly forever to heal. The reason for this is that new hairs try to grow up through the pathway created by the previous ingrown hair. In this way, trouble areas occur where you continually experience ingrown hairs in the same spots. In problem areas like this, sometimes the best thing to do is simply twease the hairs. By tweasing hairs the are popping up around an inflamed region of the skin, you give the skin time to heal without the healing process being interrupted by the hair pushing its way through and creating a source of friction.
Prevention is always best, but if you need to occasionally twease an ingrown hair, it’s better to remove the hair and allow your skin to fully heal. Otherwise you may be dealing with repeated ingrown hairs in the same spot for a long time.
