Ingrown hair and shaving

Human hair is made up of a root or follicle, which is inside the skin and the hair strand that grows out of the follicle. This follicle is tough and somewhat rounded in shape while the hair is slender and cylindrical in shape, with a tapered end.

In early man, hair provided a lot of protection against the harsh environment. In our times, however, its utility is debatable. But it is nevertheless an important part of one's appearance. Its care and maintenance is therefore vital.

Removal of body hair is a practice followed by men and women alike. Men shave their facial hair almost everyday, while women shave their legs, arms and pubic area. Shaving remains the most common of all hair removal methods. It is also the most common cause for an ingrown hair.

An ingrown hair forms when the hair is cut too close to the skin, destroying its tapered end. The rough edges of the hair start to grow abnormally, either sideways or directly back into the skin. This may form a clump or a pimple like sore on the skin, called an ingrown hair. It is also known as razor bumps or razor rash. These sores are often red and look mildly inflamed. They might also be filled with pus. They might feel itchy and sometimes, painful too. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish an ingrown hair from a regular pimple or any other skin affliction. But looking closely, we can identify clearly, as the hair trapped in the sires are visible to the naked eye. It is important to identify an ingrown hair because that will decide its further treatment.

As the name suggests, often the razor is the culprit in causing the damage. While shaving, some tips on hygiene and manner might help in preventing the onset of ingrown hairs and prevent further infection. The razor and blade should be clean. The razor should be washed with warm water before applying to the skin and the blade changed regularly. The skin to be shaved should also be cleansed of all dirt and oil, along with accumulated dead skin cells. A lot of exfoliating creams and gels can be chosen for this purpose. The shaving technique should also be keeping in mind safety of the skin, not alone the aesthetic need of a shave. Hair should always be shaven along the direction of the hair growth. Skin should also not be inflicted multiple strokes in the same area, which not only harm the skin but can potentially cause hair breakage which leads to ingrown hairs. Shaving should be done in skin, as it is lying relaxed over the bone structure. If it is made taut in order to provide a tight surface for shaving, it can also harm skin and cause ingrown hairs to develop from roughly broken hair shafts.

While the above are some precautions, which can be taken while shaving to avoid ingrown hair, it is sometimes necessary to shave when the ingrown hairs have already been formed over an area.

It is best advised to not perform hair removal of the area where ingrown hair has formed. But sometimes it can be necessary for various reasons that a shave is must. In that case, on can be careful and successfully shave along ingrown hairs. The first thing is to ensure that a new and sharp blade is used. This will ensure that the hair gets cut smoothly and with the minimum of strokes. The ingrown hairs can be identified as a red clump, often pimple like in appearance and filled with pus. This area can be avoided till the time that the sore are completely healed.

Before shaving, a hot towel can be placed on the face for about 5-7 minutes. The towel should be hot enough to allow the skin to open up its pores. Without being scalding, it should be warm enough. While the towel stays on the face, it will work on making the skin supple and open up the pores. This will allow the skin to breathe as well as loosen the ingrown hair. Shaving will be smoother this way.

If the ingrown hair clump looks loose, this may be a good time to pluck it out with needle-point tweezers. This should be done very carefully, taking much effort to ensure that the skin surrounding the sore is not ruptured. The pus from the sore may contain infection that will find a home in the ruptured skin. For the same reason that the pus may contain infection, it is wise to wipe the area with an antiseptic lotion after the hair has been pulled out.

It is said to avoid shaving at all, when an ingrown hair is present. But this is often an impractical solution, because our world and life may demand that our appearance be of a certain manner. Because this manner is only considered desirable, shaving might be unavoidable. Done with care, even with an ingrown hair, shaving can be performed, making sure that the growth is not infected.