How to Remove an Ingrown Hair

As the name suggests, an ingrown hair is the one that curls back on itself and starts growing back into the follicle. Sometimes, the hair may even fail to grow out of the follicle and stay embedded in the skin. Usually, ingrown hair causes slight irritation, but at times, they can be quite painful and hideous. Moreover, if left untreated, ingrown hairs can become infected. This will aggravate the situation, leading to discomfort. Most of the people shave regularly, so they may have to deal with ingrown hairs quite frequently. So in case you wish to know how to remove an ingrown hair, read on.

How to Get Rid of Ingrown Hair

First of all, identify the ingrown hair, as all the bumps on the skin are not caused by ingrown hairs. Ingrown hairs are even called ‘razor bumps’, as they mostly occur on the beard area or legs, where you shave. Ingrown hair cause skin irritation and look like a small pimple or cyst and may even contain pus.
For working on the ingrown hair, sterilize a pair of tweezers by washing it in alcohol. This will reduce the risk of infection, which may be caused by touching an open wound with a foreign object.
For sterilization, take rubbing alcohol in a cup and then place your tweezers in it. Leave it unattended for 2 minutes.
To treat the area, add a warm compress to the ingrown hair. Take a face cloth soaked in warm water, which should not be too hot, and place it on the ingrown hair. This will help in softening the skin and opening up the pore of the hair follicle.
If you can see the hair on the surface of the skin, it will be easy for you to pull it surface. In case the hair is not visible, apply hot compress on it till the time it becomes visible.
Once the hair surfaces gently pull the hair with the help of sterilized tweezers. However, don't pull the hair out completely as this will expose the bloodstream to the bacteria caught around the hair to get inside.
Gently pull out the hair, back to its extended position with the help of tweezers.
Wash the area around the ingrown hair with warm water and a moisturizing soap. This will further help to lessen the risk of infection.
Pat the area dry and apply an antiseptic to the area. This will help in killing any bacteria that may be surrounding the hair. Also, make sure you wipe away any pus that may have formed.

How to Cite

Related Articles

See also

More in 'Health & Fitness'