Laser Hair Removal Underarm Odor
Treatment For Ingrown Hairs
Did you know that when a hair grows back into the skin, or grows sideways in its’ follicle sheath, it is just like a splinter in the skin? It stirs up an inflammatory area, often a nodule, in the surrounding skin. Men tend to form the inflammatory nodules over the shaving area of the face. African-American men will have these in 60% of the male population; Caucasians will have them in 20% of the male population. There can be single nodules, or groups of nodules, depending upon the severity. The lesions scar with increased pigment in African-Americans; the scars in Caucasians tend to be less pigmented than the surrounding skin.
The particular situations which lead to ingrown hairs are shaving in men, and shaving and waxing in women. Women can particularly form the nodules in the bikini line. They also tend to form them in areas where tight clothing abrades the skin. The ingrown hair nodules are particularly likely to form in areas where the hair is curly, for instance, in the pubic areas.
The in growing hair can happen for a number of reasons. One is due to using a multiblade razor. The first blade pulls the hair out from the skin, and the second blade cuts it so short that it retracts back into the skin. This is why a single bladed sharp razor is recommended for people with ingrown hair problems. In waxing the same phenomenon takes place. The distal hair shaft is pulled out and broken, and then the hair root retracts under the skin where it can form the inflammatory nodule. As mentioned, the areas where hairs tend to curl in women are under the arms, in the pubic area, and over the shaven areas of the legs. In men it tends to be the facial shaving area, but there can be ingrown hairs also in the underarm areas and in the pubic hair.
There are several ways to treat ingrown hairs at home. One is to apply warm compresses for at least five minutes to bring the hair closer to the skin surface. Then the curled end can be gently grasped with sterilized pointed tweezers, or coached out with gentle use of a sterile needle. Once the end of the hair is out, the inflammation starts to resolve. Sometimes the cure for men is to stop shaving altogether and to grow a beard.
On frequent occasions the reason for the ingrown hair is that there is too much dead skin and debris over the hair follicle to let the growing hair come out. In these cases an exfoliant like glycolic acid, salicylic acid, or even plasters made with an aspirin or acetaminophen tablet with a few drops of water added, can open the pore. There are several commercial products, like Retin-A or benzoyl peroxide, for this purpose also. One particularly interesting home remedy is to apply extra virgin olive oil to the affected area, then to layer on granulated sugar for a while. The sugar is then washed off, the oil is wiped off, and the area is clean of debris.
One way to remove offending hairs is by using a depilatory product which literally dissolves the hairs. This is applied to specific skin areas for 5 to 14 minutes, and then washed off. It does have an offensive odor, and can irritate the skin in certain sensitive people, but otherwise works well.
A modern effective treatment is to remove hair with intense pulsed light from a laser device. This can destroy the hair follicles for three to four years. Other techniques with light therapy can be used to ameliorate the scars from previous ingrown hairs. The bottom line is that individual ingrown hairs can be managed rather effectively at home. Careful shaving techniques with a sharp, single bladed razor can help, as well as shaving up on the neck and down on the face. If one is getting ingrown hairs from waxing and shaving other areas, perhaps a depilatory product could be considered. Skin treatments which exfoliate dead skin and debris can be helpful. If the condition becomes chronic or disfiguring, it may time to see a physician with special dermatological or laser expertise.
About the Author
Dr. Laurusonis has been a medical doctor (M.D.) since completing his Internal Medicine residency in 1987 in New Jersey. Dr. Laurusonis became licensed in four states and ultimately chose to move he and his family to Georgia to begin his private practice. Due to Dr. Laurusonis' extensive experience in Emergency Rooms throughout Georgia and other states, and his residency in Internal Medicine, Dr. Laurusonis decided to open an Urgent Care Center instead of a 9-5 doctor's office. Dr. Laurusonis and Doctors Medical Center is open 7 days a week from 7:30 am to 9:30 pm. Dr. Laurusonis welcomes you to either make an appointment or just walk-in to see him. Give Doctors Medical Center a call--Dr. Laurusonis will be happy to speak with you.
