How To Avoid In-Growing Hairs
Where Do Ingrowing Hairs Come From?
If you suffer with in-growing hairs you know what a - quite literal - pain they can be. Most men will have one or two occasionally but the problems really start when they become infected and swollen. Shaving often makes them bleed and the whole area can become sore and inflamed. It's even more of a problem if you have Afro-Carribean skin as the hair is so curly.
Ingrowing hairs (or psuedofolliculitis barbae to give them their medical name) occur when a strong hair curls back on itself and fails to reach the follicle opening. Sebum (the skin's natural oil) builds up around the hair shaft and causes a plug under the skin. It's when this plug becomes infected with bacteria that the area swells up and starts to look angry and sore not to mention unsightly.
Sometimes the hair may grow out of the follicle but become trapped under a fine layer of skin. You can see these hairs running along under the surface.
How To Deal With Ingrowing Hairs
These type of hairs can usually be freed with a sharp pair of sterilised tweezers. Don't actually pluck the hair out until the next day, though, as the follicle will then heal around it rather than over it. For bumps and bigger in-growing hairs try
Dealing with ingrowing hairs takes a bit of time and patience and prevention is usually better than cure. Here are three simple ways way to dodge them:
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