Ingrown Hairs

Are you irritated and tired of your ingrown hairs? Do you shave your hair frequently, and are they hard? Ingrown hair is a common problem people face nowadays. This problem is mostly seen in men as compared to women. People with ingrown hairs feel the burning sensation, bumps, and pain. Ingrown hairs can be seen on any body part such as legs, arms, face, etc.

But do you know how they are caused and how you can remove them? Do you feel you are making some mistake that is creating this situation? It’s time to get rid of ingrown hair with the help of advanced technology. It’s time to say goodbye to ingrown hairs and temporary hair removal methods. Let us discuss the causes of ingrown hair and what is the treatment of it.

What are Ingrown Hairs?

It is a condition in which hairs get captured on the skin’s surface. The hairs start growing inside the skin of a person. They are also called pseudo folliculitis. Ingrown hairs are easily visible on the skin, where hairs grow more. It is not harmful, but it can be painful, looks ugly, and irritating. Ingrown hairs appear on the neck, beard, underarms, public area, back, and face.

Ingrown hair usually appears on the skin after hair removal from the skin. The ingrown hairs look like red bumps, pus, and almost like burning pimples. It can cause infection if it keeps on growing under the skin. It leaves a mark on the skin. Ingrown hair can affect the nearby skin color of the ingrown hair area. This skin condition can be detected without any testing, and it mostly appears in men’s skin.

What causes ingrown Hairs?

The ingrowth of hair depends on the direction and shape of the hair. A twisted hair follicle grows hard hair, and that hair starts growing back in the skin.
Ingrown hairs are mostly caused by removing or pulling hair from any body part. It can be through waxing, shaving, trimming, or other hair removal methods.
If the skin is stretched tight during hair removal, it can let the hair grow back into the skin.
Ingrown hairs are caused by using razors to remove hairs. Razor cuts the hairs in different shapes and directions, which affect the growth.
If there are hard, dense, and twisted hairs on different body parts, the chances of ingrown hair increase with bumps.
Some people have extreme hair growth. If they often remove their hair, there are more chances of ingrown hairs on their skin. The collection of dead skin cells on pores also develops ingrown hairs.
Removing hair can develop ingrown hairs because of follicles left deep in the skin surface.

The treatment procedure for Ingrown Hairs

It is very important to treat ingrown hair; otherwise, there is a risk of infection and skin fading. Dermatologists have the skill to treat ingrown hairs. They can easily remove the ingrown hair bumps without risking your skin. There is no risk of infection and injury during the treatment. Dermatologists also provide the best skin products to reduce skin pigmentation.

When ingrown hairs start growing on the skin, patients should immediately stop removing hair from that area. Continuous waxing after ingrown hair can worsen the skin condition, and the bump fills with pus. If ingrown hairs occur in the skin and create an infection, go for laser hair removal (LHR) treatment.

LHR

Laser hair removal or reduction is one of the most effective methods to extract ingrown hairs from the skin. It is a treatment to reduce hair growth, destroy follicles and stop ingrown hairs. Dermatologists perform LHR to avoid the growth of hair on the skin surface. The light and energy of the laser get on the pigmented area of the ingrown hair. The selective photothermolysis method is involved in Laser hair removal treatment. By producing heat on hair, it transfers to the follicles, they get destroyed and stop the hair growth. The heat and radiation of laser light destroy the hair follicle and growth of ingrown hairs.

The laser’s energy destroys the capability of follicles to grow hair inside the skin. Hair follicles are at multiple phases, and treatment is performed in a growing phase of hair. According to phase, it requires at least 5-6 sittings. Laser hair removal treatment requires multiple sittings to provide productive results. The laser hair removal (LHR) procedure is best if ingrown hairs often grow on the skin and run the follicles.

LHR treatment can be performed on any body area to reduce hair growth in that area. No worries, whether it’s face, underarms, bikini line, or legs. This treatment reduces pigmentation, reduces hair growth, and eliminates ingrown hairs. All the unwanted hair is removed by laser hair removal. Dermatologists perform this treatment to destroy the hair follicle. By destroying the hair follicles, hair never grows on that skin area.

The treatment almost reduces 75-80% of the hair growth and the possibility of ingrown hair. It is an effective treatment suggested by an expert dermatologist to reduce ingrown hairs. The treatment smoothen the skin and reduce unwanted and ingrown hairs from the body.

Before LHR Treatment

Before the laser hair removal treatment, patients should avoid overexposure to sunlight. Avoid tanning their body with any sun tanning beds to get positive treatment results. Remove hairs from the affected skin 3-4 days before the LHR treatment. Make sure the hairs should not be too long. The treatment is effective on short, tiny hairs, and a dermatologist can guide best in this situation. After the first sitting, strictly avoid removing hair from the treatment area.

Laser Hair Removal Treatment

When patients visit a dermatologist clinic for LHR treatment, glasses for eye protection are provided. The patient has to wear glasses during the whole procedure.
The dermatologist also wears goggles for protection and then cleans the skin area for treatment.
Then, the dermatologist uses laser light on the ingrown hair area. Some patients can feel little discomfort or pain. It feels like elastic hitting on the skin continuously.
Each sitting of treatment takes time between 20minutes-1 hour. It varies according to the size of the affected area.
The heat produced from the laser can smell like smoke, flaming hair, or vapor.
The hairs get burned with the help of laser light and destroy the hair follicles during the procedure.

After LHR Treatment

After treatment, the patient treated skin will become red and painful. It is a short-term effect and can happen after every sitting. The skin gets red and swollen after laser hair removal sittings. Patients can use cold packs and apply them on treated ingrown hair areas. Avoid exposure of skin to UV rays, sunlight, or tanning bed. The pain, swelling, or any effect is temporary and goes away in 1-2 days. Everything else remains the same, and no major side effects take place during or after surgery.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the risk factors involved in Ingrown hair?

If ingrown hairs start growing in the skin, there are some risks that an individual might have to face-

Razor bumps
Brown or dark skin
Keloids
Bacterial Infection
Hyper Pigmentation
Redness and Pus

How to prevent ingrown hair growth?

To prevent ingrown hair growth, firstly, stop removing hairs from the skin. Stop shaving, waxing, or trimming hairs where ingrown hairs are grown.
Do not pluck or pull out hairs from the neck, face, or any hair area. It can result in the growth of ingrown hairs. By tweezing hairs, dust and bacteria enter into open pores.
Avoid using razors because they cannot remove hairs in the proper direction. It is also one of the major reasons for ingrown hairs.
Smoothly exfoliate the hairy skin before removing hairs from it through any method. Use warm water and exfoliation to clean and soften the skin before waxing.
Always remove hair according to the direction of the hairs. They do not always grow in the same direction. Removing them in the wrong direction develops ingrown and hard hair. Shave in the direction of the hairs to avoid hard and edgy hair. Due to the wrong direction, removal hair starts growing back on the skin surface.
Always use a new shaving blade while removing the hairs every time. Do not use the same blade again and again to remove hair.
Apply any lotion or astringent on the skin after removing the hairs. It will help to nourish the skin and cover the pores. It will reduce the risk of ingrown hairs and bacterial infections.

What are the benefits of Laser hair removal (LHR)?

It reduces almost 70-80% of the hair growth from the treated area.
It destroys the hair follicles and removes dead cells from the skin.
It enters the skin surface through bumps of ingrown hair and kills the follicles.
It reduces the chances of ingrown hair.
It provides effective and better results than other hair removal methods like shaving, waxing, etc.
It requires only a few sittings and is a painless treatment.
LHR treatment can be done on any part of the body.
It is an affordable and cost-effective treatment.

What is the cost of ingrown hair treatment?

When you will visit a reputed clinic and experienced doctor. The average cost of ingrown hair treatment is INR 8,000- 10,000 per session. The total cost depends on the sessions told by the dermatologist. If you require 6 sessions, it will cost you around INR 60,000. The treatment is quite expensive because the experience of a doctor and multiple sessions are required.

What are the side effects of ingrown hair LHR treatment?

There are some side effects of laser hair removal treatment for ingrown hairs. However, the side effects are minor and get healed with time or with medicines provided by a dermatologist.

Burning sensation
Itching
Blisters
Hyperpigmentation
Infection
Bumps or scars

Any of these side effects can happen around the treated area of ingrown hairs. But there are no major side effects of ingrown hair LHR treatment.

Can we do laser hair removal for ingrown hair at home?

Laser hair removal devices are available for home use, but it is dangerous to perform treatment at home. An expert dermatologist should always be there to perform the treatment. It requires the skill, technique, and experience of the dermatologist. The risk of infection and injury increases if you will perform laser hair removal without the guidance of a doctor. However, laser hair removal for ingrown hair can be done at home if a dermatologist visits your home. Because it cannot be done without proper supervision because of some reasons-

Dermatologists can guide about precautions needed before and after treatment.
They have the experience and skills to perform the treatment.
Multiple sittings are required for the treatment. They can tell exactly how much sitting you need to get positive results.
The chances of side-effects get low.