Ingrown Hair

With the popularity of hair removal there is an increased problem of ingrown hair.

This is most often caused with people who use shaving as their preferred method of hair removal. With shaving the hair can curl back under the skin.  With the hair becoming trapped it creates an inflammation and red bumps on the surface of the skin.

While the general intention of hair removal is to create a smooth surface, the opposite is often the case with a shaven area appearing quite spotty.  Shaving creates a blunt end on the hair follicle and when this tries to push back through the skin it is met with resistance.

This resistance to push through the skin creates the red bumps. Shaving against the grain of the hair increases the incidence of this happening.  Alternatively by shaving with the grain of the hair you reduce the chance of shaver rash but you’re also unlikely to get such a clean-shaven area.

Exfoliating on a regular basis will help reduce the chance of getting ingrown hairs.  If you’re prone to getting ingrown hairs then you might need to look at alternative methods of hair removal such as depilatory creams or even laser treatment.

Some people find that they can reduce the incidence of ingrown hairs by shaving in several directions over the one surface to ensure that the ends of the hair aren’t blunt and when they do grow back they have less problem coming through the surface of the skin.

When shaving in the areas around the bikini line, sometimes the problem of irritation can be made worse by the fact that clothing will be rubbing on that area throughout the day.

If it is at all possible to wear loose clothing and apply body cream to the area after shaving you might find that this will be sufficient to reduce any inflammation that might occur.