Remedies

Most people think that there is little that can be done to reduce or eliminate ingrown hairs and accept it as just something that they have to live with. Fortunately, there are some easy and effective ways to treat ingrown hair thereby lessening the severity of discomfort felt and damage caused.

For chronic problems of ingrown hair, you need to medicate the area with a cream or liquid solution containing salicylic acid. (You might want to talk to your dermatologist about medication before attempting to purchase one). This will help ease irritation almost instantly and keep the hair follicles from becoming infected.  Salicylic acid also helps to cure or improve specific visual aspects of your skin; it cleans out pores and decreases the level of infection and irritation caused by the ingrown hair.

When selecting a cream for treating ingrown hairs, stay away from products that contact alcohol as this will cause your skin to dry out, which will in turn make your pores close up thus making it difficult for the hair to get through. It can also lock dirt and grime in.
You can also apply an antiseptic to the area. It will kill germs that can cause infections or at least reduce your chances of getting an infection. Antiseptics can be purchased over the counter and usually include ingredients such as hydrogen peroxide, isopropanol, iodine and povidone-iodine .

Before you apply any medication to your ingrown hair, you should ensure that the area is clean and use tweezers or a sterile needle to lift the hair out only if it is visible. Do not attempt to force the hair out if it is not visible; do not squeeze to remove any pus that may have accumulated below the surface of the skin. Doing this will only expose you to infection or increase the chances for more ingrown hairs.

Allow the bumps some time to heal and if the hair still does not become visible use the following steps to raise the hair:

• Clean the infected area with a mild cleanser.
• Use a warm compress (warm water and a soft washcloth) on the area for about 10 minutes. This will open the pores.
• Repeat this several times.
• The hair will lift and you can then gently raise the hair out.

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