Ingrown hair removal can be a touchy subject. Ingrown hairs tend to be very painful, and can lead to scarring if you don’t get it taken care of pretty quickly. There are several different ways that you can get rid of ingrown hairs, but what is the best way? Gaining a better understanding of ingrown hairs and how they occur can really be helpful when it comes to getting rid of them.  

What Exactly Are Ingrown Hairs?

So, what are ingrown hairs? These pesky hairs can occur in one of two different ways. First, you may find that your skin actually grows over the opening to the hair follicle. This can cause the hair to get trapped under the skin, unable to grow outward. It can also grow inward towards the follicle, rather than breaking through and growing outward. Either way, this results in an ingrown hair.  

Common Causes of Ingrown Hairs

Ingrown hairs can happen for a variety of different reasons. Some of these reasons include:  

• Shaving
• Waxing
• Utilizing hair removal creams
• Form fitting clothes
• Sweating
• Coarse or curly hair

  These are just a few things that can make your risk of ingrown hairs a little higher.   Ingrown hairs can happen just about anywhere that you have hair on your body, but they are definitely more common in certain areas. Men get them a lot in their beard areas and around their neck, and this is probably due to constant shaving in this area. They are also common on the rear, around your bikini area, and under your arms.  

Can You Prevent Ingrown Hairs?

Prevention of ingrown hairs is really the best way to go, but it is not foolproof. Sure, there are some things that you can do to cut back your risks of getting an ingrown hair. Here are some suggestions:   #1 – Exfoliate Your Skin Regularly Regular exfoliation can help to prevent dead skin cells from covering your hair follicles and trapping the hairs underneath. It is a good idea for you to use just a light exfoliant at least twice each week to help keep your skin healthy and free of ingrown hairs. Just remember, exfoliating too much can also be counterproductive. If you use exfoliation too harshly, or too often, then you may actually cause an ingrown hair.   #2 – Keep Your Skin Moisturized It is a really good idea to keep your skin moisturized regularly. This can not only help to keep your skin free of ingrown hairs, but it is also a great way to ensure that your skin is healthy and hydrated. Hydrated skin leads to healthier hair follicles, and that is really important when it comes to your hair health.   #3 – Avoid Tight Clothes Tight clothing can cause you to sweat in certain areas, and that can really make your skin be unable to breathe. If your skin cannot breathe, and your hair is unable to break through the skin from the follicle, then you will probably get ingrown hairs in those areas. It is a good idea to wear loose clothing, especially if you are going to be doing any sort of strenuous activities that may make you sweat.   You can really use all of these tips to help prevent an ingrown hair and still end up with one. The problem is that getting rid of them may not be as easy as getting them. It doesn’t seem too appealing to try to pry the hair out and free it, and this can be pretty painful and can even lead to infection if you aren’t careful. This is why you need to make sure that you have your ingrown hairs removed the right way.  

The Best Ingrown Hair Removal Methods

One way to get rid of ingrown hair is by using tweezers. You can’t just go after it and pry it out, not without taking some safety precautions first. Here are some tips for at home removal:  

• Keep your hands and the affected area clean
• Clean your tweezers with alcohol first
• Use a moist heated wash rag to prepare the area beforehand
• Use the tip of the tweezers to slowly free the hair
• Use an antiseptic cream afterwards
• Don’t just dig for the hair, if it won’t come out easily – leave it alone

  If you are not comfortable getting rid of your own ingrown hair, then you may consider having laser hair removal to help get rid of them. Laser hair removal has been a good option for people who are prone to ingrown hairs.   The truth is that people that have more coarse hair, or curly hairs, are actually more susceptible to getting an ingrown hair. Often times, they will have a recurring problem with them. Laser hair removal works by destroying the hair straight from the follicle. Destroying the hair follicle will destroy the hair before it can become ingrown. It can also cut back on the risks of recurring ingrown hairs, since it will ultimately reduce the number of hairs in the area.  

Laser Treatment for Ingrown Hair Removal

If you are unsure about how to tackle your ingrown hairs, then you may want to discuss it with us. We may feel that laser hair removal would be a great solution to help cut back on the number of ingrown hairs that you have. It is really an ideal solution for people that have darker hair with lighter skin tones, as this is the best makeup for an ideal laser hair removal candidate. While it may not be your only option, it can be a more permanent solution if you tend to deal with ingrown hairs on a regular basis.   Consider scheduling a free consultation to discuss your options. You may find that it is the most ideal solution for you, and as an added plus you wouldn’t have to shave or wax as often!