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Ingrown Hair Treatment - 4 Easy Steps

By: Mike Jones Click author's name for more of his/her articles

A hair growing back into the skin, or growing out through the side of the skin can be very painful. Many get quite subconscious about it too as an ingrown hair can look a little unsightly.

Thankfully the procedure for getting rid of them is quite simple and straightforward and can be done at home.

However, before starting ingrown hair treatment, how do you know if what you have is really an ingrown hair?

Often they make themselves known after you have removed hair on the face, or from the legs or the pubic region. Shaving can cut the hair below the skin level so the sharp end grows out through the skin, causing pain.

The same can happen if waxing is not done properly, causing the hair to break rather than taking it out by the root.

So if you recently shaved, or did waxing, or performed some other method of hair removal, and you see a pimple or bump that's a little sensitive, you could be looking at an ingrown hair.

Sometimes you can actually see the hair just below the surface of the skin, especially if you use a good magnification mirror. At times the little pimples fill with pus, another tell tale sign.

So, you have an ingrown hair and now you want to get rid of it as soon as possible. This easy to follow 4 step plan should alleviate the pain or discomfort almost immediately:

Step 1

This step is optional but in many cases it does help to make ingrown hair treatment easier. Submerge a clean washcloth in warm to hot water, squeeze out excess water, and hold the cloth against the area of skin where you have the problem.

You may want to keep the cloth on the area for 5 to 10 minutes during which time the hair should soften and work its way closer to the surface of the skin, thus making extraction easier.

Step 2

Sterilize a pair of needle-nose tweezers. A rubbing alcohol or a solution such as hydrogen peroxide is sufficient for this.

Needle-nose tweezers are best as they can get right into the offending hair without taking away a chunk of skin in the process.

If you want a recommendation, Tweezerman are regarded by many beauticians as about the best in the business. They actually have tweezers designed for ingrown hair treatment. (See the resource box below for help on this)

Step 3

Now gently release the hair with the needle-nose tweezers. Often the hair will just pop up above the surface of the skin. Problem solved.

You may wish to pluck the hair completely in which case use a pair of flat-tipped tweezers to get a good grip on the hair, and in one clean stroke, pull the offending hair out by the root. Be careful not to twist as you pull to avoid breaking the hair and risking another ingrown!

Step 4

Take care of the skin. You can gently wash the area with a moisturizing soap, or use a moisturizing cream and then follow up with an antiseptic lotion such as hydrogen peroxide or a rubbing alcohol to minimize the danger of infection.

The 4 steps above provide a complete ingrown hair treatment procedure which is inexpensive and can be done at home.

Another method of ingrown hair treatment is to use specially prepared topical lotions you simply rub in to the skin a number of times each day. These solutions can release the trapped hairs without the need for tweezers.

These ingrown hair treatment solutions are good if you have a real problem with ingrown hairs over a fairly wide area. Sometimes in the pubic area after waxing a number of ingrown hairs can appear. Tweezing them all can take time and it can be laborious.

Using an ingrown hair treatment solution is a lot faster and probably more comfortable. Check the resource box below for more information.

One final word - If these steps do not solve the problem and the pain and discomfort continue, be sure to see a local physician or a dermatologist. It could be there is a more serious underlying reason for the pain or discomfort that requires professional examination.

If you carry out hair removal procedures regularly, it is likely you will at some time suffer the discomfort of ingrown hairs. Use this 4 step guide to quickly eliminate the problem.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Mike Jones is a researcher and writer based in the UK. He has over 10 years experience. To find out more about ingrown hair problems, prevention, and links to the resources mentioned above, go to his web site here: www.ingrown-hair-solutions.com