Do you get ingrown hairs? They most often occur in teens and adults with somewhat curly hair who shave, tweeze or wax. Areas that seem to be affected most are men’s necks or beards and women’s underarms or bikini area. Ingrown hairs occur when the tip of a hair curls back into the skin as it grows. They often appear as small red bumps or dark spots in a pore. Most often ingrown hairs are caused from shaving too closely. If you have curly hair, shaving can increase your chances of getting them. Most of the time ingrown hairs work themselves out on their own. When the hairs can’t get through the skin, a breakout can occur causing inflammation, itchiness and pustules.

There are several ways to treat ingrown hairs. Sometimes using a topical cream containing retinol will help exfoliate any dead skin that can accumulate on the surface of the skin, which helps the hair grow outward instead of curling back into itself. Lightly exfoliating the skin with a washcloth or scrub can help loosen the hairs also. Laser hair removal is the most effective way to help with ingrown hairs and all the side effects that come with it.

Here at Rocky Mountain Laser College we have found that people suffering from ingrown hairs get great results with lasers. How? By disabling the follicle so the hair can’t grow means there is no hair to become ingrown! This can help with redness, breakouts and skin discoloration because the hair growth is reduced by lasers. Laser hair removal has little to no side effects and is a great alternative to costly creams and other depilatories that might cause irritation and redness of their own. If you are interested in laser hair removal treatment, contact us!