Cutting down hair is a normal thing to do. Aside from cutting hair from the head, hair growing on the other body part such as the beard, moustache, armpit, and legs are often trimmed or cut to enhance overall appearance and to feel comfortable. To have minor cuts from shaving or cutting off the hair are considered normal but to feel some pain or irritation from the site that its hair has just been removed may cause great discomfort. Health screening might actually help to recognize signs of inflammation before getting worse.
One of the skin disorders that is caused by shaving or cutting off the hair is an ingrown hair or a pseudo folliculitis. Ingrown hair occurs when the hair grows back into the skin by penetrating the skin with its tip. This led to inflammation of the skin which is often marked by redness of the skin. A person with ingrown hairs will have skin that I reddish, a bit raised and itchy spots may be formed. At times, trapped hair can be seen under the skin. Formation of pus can be seen when it is infected. This can happen to anywhere on the body that hair is removed from either by the classic shaving, plucking, threading, tweezing, waxing or hair removal cream. People with curly or coarse hair are most likely to get ingrown hairs.
How does ingrown hair happen? An ingrown hair occurs either by the force causing the hair follicle to pierce the skin or the dead skin clogging the follicle. The clogs then cause the hair to grow beneath the skin or make a new entrance into the follicle or the nearby follicle. This leads to the hair tao grow inward instead of pushing through the skin to grow upwards normally. This triggers the body’s reaction which ends up with an inflammation process.
Since an ingrown usually causes a person to experience some degree of discomfort or pain, treating one can certainly help to reduce the symptoms. Although in general ingrown hairs can improve without any treatment, there are some steps you can take to prevent and help treat an ingrown hair much faster. This includes:
1- Before shaving, wet the skin with warm water and use shaving gel to help smoothening the hair removal process
2- Use shaving creams to cleanse the area
3- Use an exfoliating scrub to help remove the trapped hairs
4- Try to use a single blade or electric razor
5- Make sure the razor used is new and sharp
6- Shave the hair in the directions of the hair is growing
7- Use few strokes of razor as possible
8- Use a cool and wet cloth to the skin after shaving to reduce irritation
9- Use hair removal cream instead of razor if you notice skin is easily irritated by sharp razor
10- Consider using a long-term of hair removal technique such as electrolysis, laser or depilatory method using liquid or cream
11- Rub on creams or lotions to help reduce inflamed skin
12- Use mild antiseptic on the ingrown hair areas to prevent further infections
13- Avoid shaving the same area where an ingrown hair has healed. If you must trim the hair, use a clipper and avoid shaving too close to the skin.
Since this ingrown hair may resemble other skin disorders portrayed with the same symptoms or sign, it is best to get medical advice if it often happens. If you experience fever or feeling unwell and feeling intense pain because of ingrown hair, you should meet a healthcare professional to get treatment.
