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Ingrown Hairs​

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OVERVIEW

Ingrown hairs are unsightly, painful and just down right annoying. They occur when a hair curls in on itself and grows back into the skin. This can cause inflammation, swelling and whiteheads. 

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What causes this:

  • Really curly hair 

  • Blunted shaving sticks

  • Tweezing or waxing hairs

  • Very dry skin

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Ingrown hairs can cause small bumps (which are sometimes filled with pus) on your face and neck. It can cause pain, itching and irritation and can lead to folliculitis.

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HOW TO MANAGE INGROWN HAIRS

  • Use sharp razor edges and make sure you use shaving cream!

  • Avoid shaving around ingrown hairs.

  • Shave in the direction of hair growth.

  • Moisturise well as dry skin contributes to ingrown hairs.

  • Exfoliate regularly to unclog the follicles which contain dead and dying skin cells.

  • Find an alternate method of hair removal such as hair removal creams. 

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What to do if you already have an ingrown hair:

  • Hands off! Picking at ingrown hairs can introduce dirt and bacteria onto the skin which can lead to infection which can cause scarring.

  • If small bumps appear try using a warm compress to bring the trapped hairs closer to the surface.

  • If a spot has developed around the ingrown hair, gently squeeze with tweezers that have been cleaned with alcohol gel. Once all the pus has been squeezed out, dab some alcohol gel or tea tree oil over the area to avoid infection and inflammation!

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