Q: I get ingrown hairs every time I shave. Can I get rid of them?
It’s a common issue: Your freshly shaved, waxed or plucked skin appears smooth and hairless — until pimple-like bumps crop up days later.
Ingrown hairs can occur anywhere on the skin, but they typically emerge in places you remove hair, like in the beard, pubic, leg and armpit areas, said Dr. Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, a dermatologist in Dallas.
They typically look like raised red or flesh-colored bumps, sometimes with hair or pus on the inside, said Dr. Amy K. Bieber, a dermatologist at N.Y.U. Langone Health.
And they can be a persistent problem for some. But the good news is there are effective ways to prevent them.
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What causes ingrown hairs?
Hair grows from a follicle deep within the skin, said Dr. Paradi Mirmirani, a dermatologist at Kaiser Permanente in Vallejo, Calif.
Shaving is more likely than waxing or plucking to cause ingrown hairs because it tends to break off the hair just under the skin, which could push the hair into the skin’s layers and interfere with its growing path, Dr. Mirmirani explained.
But waxing and plucking can do this, too, and your hair type also plays a role, said Dr. Delila P. Foulad, a dermatologist at U.C.L.A. Health.
Once the hair starts regrowing, it can curve inward and dig into the skin, or it can emerge and then curl back in, Dr. Mirmirani said. This can cause inflammation and bumps that might be itchy or painful, she said.
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The closer the shave, the more likely an ingrown hair is to form, because the hair can get trapped under the skin, Dr. Foulad said.
Are Ingrown Hairs Preventable?
People with curly or coarse hir are most affected, Dr. Foulad said. The bumps are also more common if you regularly shave or wax before the hair has fully grown back, Dr. Houshmand said …