Ingrown hair - why it happens and how you can avoid it?

Ingrown hair and the reasons why it happens

This unpleasant and often even painful problem happens whena hair, which was previously tweezed, shaved or removed in some other way, growsinto the skin, thus leading to the inflammation and irritation of the skin. Thisproblem is often followed by a bump or even several bumps on the affected area,which is a reason more for feeling embarrassed and unpleasant about the whole problem.The real reason is related to the fact that when tweezing, for example, a partof the hair is left under the surface of the skin, which results in the hairentering the skin again, without primarily growing out. On the other side, whenshaving, the hair that was shaved tends to curl back when growing out, whichalso results in ingrown hair. Since the skin reacts as if it would react to anyforeign body, the inflammation occurs. People who have curled hair areparticularly at risk of experiencing often ingrown hairs, which is why African Americansand Hispanics are more prone to this problem than other people.

What can be done about it?

Primarily, what a person can do in order to avoid thisproblem is follow some simple steps when shaving or removing hairs in any otherway. It is always a good idea to wet the hairs, as well as to avoid closeshaves and use lubricating shaving gels instead. When choosing a razor, the onewith a single blade is better than the one with double blade, and it isnecessary to have always a sharp one. Shaving strokes should follow thedirection in which the hair grows, and the razor should be rinsed after everysingle stroke. After finishing, cool compress should be applied to prevent irritationof the skin.

However, if the problem with an ingrown hair occurs, thereare some medications that might help, and they are usually prescribed by thedoctor. They include retinoid creams, corticosteroid ointments that have to beapplied topically, or even antibiotics also in the form of the ointment, sothat the infection can be prevented.

People who are susceptible to ingrown hairs are highlyadvised to avoid removing hair by waxing, tweezing or shaving, and instead, theyshould seriously consider the removal of the unwanted hairs in a way that can provide much more permenet results, such as the laser.