Ingrown Hairs

Ingrown Hairs

If you have ingrown hairs, a morning shave can be "shear" agony. This painful condition--doctors call it pseudofolliculitis barbae--occurs because shaving puts hairs under tension and cuts them at an angle. When the sharp tips of the hairs become embedded, they irritate, inflame and scar the skin. The problem mostly affects those with coarse, curly hair; black men are particularly vulnerable.

"Ingrown hairs are a difficult problem with one easy solution--grow a beard," says David Feingold, M.D., chairman of the Department of Dermatology at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. But if growing a beard is not a practical solution for you, or if you're a woman who's had ingrown hairs on your legs or under-arms, here's how to keep skin free from hair and pain.

Rough up your skin. "One of the best ways to prevent the hairs from embedding in your skin is to take a dry washcloth and rub it over your skin before you shave," advises Dr. Feingold. "That way, you'll help 'loosen' embedded hairs from their follicles for a less irritating shave."

Don't double up. Using twin-track razors can give you a double dose of agony. That's because the first blade pulls the hair while the second cuts it below skin level, often at a sharp angle that can embed back into your skin. Jerome Z. Litt, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, says you're better off using a single-track razor and settling for a less close shave.

Pivoting-head razors like the Gillette Sensor cause less friction (and irritation) and do a better job than fixed-head types, adds John E. Romano, M.D., a dermatologist and clinical assistant professor of medicine at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

Change your shaving routine. Sometimes you can lessen ingrown hair pain simply by changing your shaving direction. "I try to get my patients to shave with the grain, whereas most people go against the grain," says Dr. Feingold. While you're at it, you may also want to change your choice of shaving gear. "If you now shave with a blade, try an electric razor. If you now use electric, go manual."

Play Sherlock Holmes. "Make a regular routine of examining your face very carefully with a magnifying glass, to look for hairs that are caught in the follicle," says Dr. Feingold. These troublemakers should then be removed with tweezers that have been sterilized in rubbing alcohol.