The term ‘ingrown hair’ is not new to many, especially those who have extremely curly coarse hair. However, some people may not be conversant with deep ingrown hair.
In some instances, some hairs grow across the wall its follicle inside your skin. Some people may call them embedded but we will call them ingrown. As a result of these hairs, there is a severe inflammation of the skin characterized by swelling and redness. especially if it occurs deep beneath your skin.
Generally, this phenomenon occurs when part of your hair curls back into the skin. In short, it appears to have been deeply embedded in the skin. As a result, one gets deep ingrown hairs that are quite difficult to get rid of and they are commonly found in the following body parts:
- The face
- The chin
- Scalp
- Thighs
- Bikini line
- Pubic area thighs
You don’t have to worry much if it is deep and causing lots of discomfort as there are different removal options. If left undisturbed, it can heal naturally. However, some people will always pick or pop the pimples resulting from such hairs.
When picked or frequently irritated, it can become infected. In this context, one gets ingrown hair cysts, a painful inflammation that is pus-filled.
What causes deep ingrown hair?
It happens as a result of many factors. Such factors include:
- Shaving using blunt razors. This is one of the key risk factors for having this problem. Shaving has become the order of the day, not only for men but also among women. Today, people shave almost everywhere where hair grows. However, using blunt blades is likely to push it inwards instead of outwards.
- Type of Your Skin. Have you ever wondered why people with dry skins get more of this problem than the ones with oily ones? Dry skins prevent the normal hair from penetrating to the surface. The deeply embedded hair becomes deep ingrown. Oily skin can also lead to
- Having too much hair on various body parts, especially the chin. This is related to one’s hormones. You may have seen people who have too much hair on almost every body part. Such a large amount is likely to have some to grow inwards instead of outwards.
- Having excessively curly hair. People with it are at a higher risk of developing this problem than the ones with normal ones. This is because it is known to curl or bend back into the skin. The continuous inward growth irritates the follicle.
- Shaving in different directions. This comes along with shaving too close to the skin. Before shaving, it is always prudent to learn and understand the direction of your hair. Shaving in the opposite direction makes some strands to curl back into the skin, thus they become ingrown.
- Having Some Dead Skin Cells. Normally, your hair protrudes onto the skin through the pores. What would happen if these pores are clogged by dead skin cells? This means that some won’t make it to the skin’s surface. They become ingrown.
These are just but a few factors that can put you at risk of having deep ingrown hairs. However, other factors that involve normal hair removal can cause it to curl back into the skin.
How do you recognize it – symptoms
According to Mayo Clinic on ingrown hair symptoms, there are certain symptoms that one can look at, especially on the cheeks, chin, neck and pubic area. However, these symptoms can also be noted on the legs, thighs, bikini line and armpits, especially among women.
These symptoms include:
- Extreme pain in the affected region
- Small round bumps on the skin known as papules
- Pus-filled or sometimes blister-like lesions known as pustules
- Visible embedded hairs, especially on the chin among men
- Too much itching
- The skin around the affected region becomes hyperpigmented
Deep ingrown hair removal
Whether you are having it on legs, bikini line, chin, face, thighs or stomach, you can easily manage them. You can use the various existing natural home remedies or adopt safe practices that regulate the rate at which one develops them.
Their removal is possible. Folliculitisclinic.com highlights that deep ingrown hairs can be managed through the adoption of safe shaving techniques alongside other home remedies.
Below are some of the practices that can effectively enhance their removal as well as prevent them from occurring:
Healthy Shaving Techniques
This is the primary way in managing them. When it comes to shaving, consider the following practices.
- Always shave in the same direction. This should be the direction in which your hair grows.
- Always cut it when it is short as long hair is likely to coil back into the skin during shaving.
- Never shave too close to the skin as this makes some strands to coil back.
- Don’t re-use shaving razors. Use the shaving razor only once.
- Avoid using the manual razors and shift to the electric ones.
Adopting healthy shaving techniques would play a significant role in healing and prevent the occurrence of new ones.
Use Antibiotics
There comes a time when other remedies have failed or deep especially is infected ingrown hair. In such cases, consider using antibiotics. There are numerous topical antibiotics that can prevent you from getting infections as well as heal any existing infections.
The antibiotics also make the infected area to dry and heal. However, you should only use the prescribed antibiotics. Use of the wrong over-the-counter drugs might worsen the condition.
Think of exfoliation
You might think of exfoliating your skin as a remedy. Exfoliation involves the use of mechanical as well as chemical methods for removing dead skin cells. This can be done through the application of chemical peeling or microdermabrasion procedures.
When dead skin cells are removed the skin pores open. Consequently, all hairs can grow to the skin’s surface without coiling inward or across beneath your skin.
Pull them off
Some people will just manually pull off the ingrown hairs. How can you do this? Many people go for tweezers to pull any curved strands on the skin. However, make sure that the tweezers are sterilized, or else you might develop other skin infections.
Furthermore, be extra cautious when pulling the deep ones i.e. the pulling should be gentle. Careless pulling would irritate your skin, thus leaving scars when they heal.
Use ingrown hair creams and lotions
In mild cases, deep ingrown hairs would be removed by application of creams and lotions. How does this take place?
As earlier noted, people with dry skins are at a higher risk of getting this problem. In most cases, some hairs are caught up in the skin and are not able to grow to the surface. However, oiling the skin makes all them to make their way to the surface.
Home remedies
On home remedies, these deep ingrown hairs can be removed at home using natural substances. Some of the things that you can use at home to remove them include:
- Massaging the infected region with a towel dipped in warm water. This opens any clogged pores and any entangled hairs come to the surface.
- Instead of warm water, you can dip a piece of cloth in a bowl containing a mixture of warm water and vinegar. Use the cloth to massage the infected region.
- The same cloth can also be dipped in a bowl containing sugar or salt solution. Thoroughly massage the infected region with the cloth. This can be repeated for a few days.
- In some instances, milk and bread can help. You should dip bread in some milk and place it on the ingrown hairs. Most of them will pop out of the skin.
- Other solutions may include honey, teabags or baking soda. Just like the above techniques, these ones are good exfoliating agents.