subject: Getting Rid Of Ingrown Hair [print this page] Inflamed, painful and discoloured - if you've got ingrown hair, this may be all too familiar to you. Ingrown hair can occur anywhere that hair grows but is most common in areas that are frequently shaved, from the face to the arms and legs. It can even exist in the pubic area, where it may be the most painful. But even if your ingrown hair isn't irritating, it can still be an aesthetic fault that you'd like to address.
What is it?
Ingrown hair is essentially a hair that has grown but has curled back or gone sideways, penetrating the skin as it continues to grow. Individuals with thicker hair and who shave regularly are most prone to the condition, since cut hair tends to be sharper and thus cuts into the skin more easily. However, another cause can also be when the skin isn't exfoliated. Dead skin cells and debris suffocate the upper layer of the skin, clogging the opening where a hair follicle is. This inhibits the upright growth of the hair, resulting in an ingrown hair.
Treatment
Some believe waxing is an ideal way to eliminate this problem, however it is ineffective and can even cause further problems. Waxing has actually been shown to promote the development of ingrowns.
Currently, the only effective method to eliminate ingrown hair is laser hair removal. Laser hair removal is a cosmetic surgical treatment that utilizes the power of lasers to penetrate the skin to reach the root of a hair, destroying it. This eliminates the hair that was targeted and it can no longer grow. Since laser hair removal goes to the very root of the problem right into the skin, and not just on the very surface, it can also treat ingrown hair. With time, the skin in a treated area will naturally shed its uppermost layer, and the trapped ingrown hair will simply shed as well.
