How To Avoid Scarring from Ingrown Hairs
In grown hairs can leave scarring. This scarring for some people can become troublesome and become more severe overtime. Areas frequently shaved are more susceptible to ingrown hair though they can occur any place where hair grows on the body. Place where hair has been shaved and there is friction from skin rubbing or at times clothes can be more vulnerable to the nuisance and at worse scarring from ingrown hairs.
Shaving, waxing, tweezing, electrolysis, and other hair removal methods can often irritate the hair follicle to the point of causing pain, heat, redness, swelling and eruption like skin reactions. These reactions appear as irritating red bumps which at the very least are an embarrassing sight if not a stinging reminder lasting many hours or days. Coarse, curly or wiry hair has a greater tendency to become ingrown because of the curl pattern.
Men often experience ingrown hairs on the face, back, chest, legs and arms. Women tend to get ingrown hairs on the bikini area, legs and armpits. At times the epidermis surrounding the ingrown hair can become swollen and form puss as part of the bodies healing process. People often pick or squeeze ingrown hairs, this activity repeated over time may damage the skin permanently. Scars from ingrown hairs are common. There are a number of good grooming practices that can reduce the appearance of ingrown hair scars and mitigate the reoccurrence and further scarring.
Grooming Preventions for In Grown Hairs
1. Exfoliate the area, Exfoliation removes dead skin cells and nurtures new skin cell production. Less damaged skin cells will be more apparent sooner when you exfoliate regularly. Over a period of months scars often lessen and in some cases become unapparent to the naked eye.
2. Wear sunscreen on the scarred area. Wear sunscreen period. Let’s not worry about environmental controversy and the ozone layers. Many cosmetic companies produce good skin moisturizers with sunscreen so that’s a two for one. The sun can often worsen the appearance of ingrown hair scars. The higher SPF rating is preferable to prevent further damage from harmful sun rays.
3. Cocoa butter has been shown to fade scars and encourage healthy skin. You could find a moisturizer with cocoa butter and sunscreen on the open market.
Professional Medical Treatment
1. See a dermatologist. Some may recommend apply a bleaching cream to the scars. Ingrown hair scars usually have darker pigmentation than surrounding skin. A bleaching cream will lighten the scars, helping them to blend in with the rest of your skin. You’ll need to apply most over-the-counter bleaching creams need to be applied twice a day for several weeks before you see results.
2. A dermatologist may recommend getting laser treatment on the ingrown hair scars. Laser light will target the hyperpigmentation in the scars, thereby lightening the area. Laser treatments also advance collagen production so your skin will look healthier. This is a more costly alternative that generally requires multiple sessions to achieve satisfactory results.
3. Another alternative a dermatologist can suggest is a chemical peels to lighten the ingrown hair scars. Depending on the severity of the scars, you can opt for light, medium or deep chemical peels. Your skin will be burned by the chemicals, but after it heals, younger skin will be revealed. If you opt for a series of peels, you’ll generally have better results.
4. Consider microdermabrasion on the scarred area. The top layers of your skin will be buffed away by a mini sandblaster-type device. The skin below will be younger and less damaged so the scars will not be as apparent.