What is an Ingrown Hair?

Have you ever noticed little bumps on the surface of your skin, that aren’t quite like a pimple, but very similar? It is likely that you have an ingrown hair or two. An ingrown hair occurs when your hair grows sideways from the cuticle, rather than upwards. Oftentimes, shaving too often or too vigorously results in multiple ingrown hairs, or razor burn, and they can vary in size and condition. And although shaving is usually the cause of ingrown hair, they can still appear in areas on your skin where you do not shave.

For instance, wearing tight fitting clothes, or rubbing fabrics can cause ingrown hair. Anything that can alter or break hair follicles has the ability to give you ingrown hair. When the follicle is broken off, the sideways hair that grows back becomes inflamed, which is unsightly and can sometimes be painful. Another cause of ingrown hair is dead skin accumulating in your pores, blocking hair from growing properly and forcing it to grow at an angle.

Determining whether or not you have an ingrown hair versus some other skin ailment is a matter of looking at the symptoms. These can include itchy skin, rash-like redness, and hair that do not go away despite your efforts to shave. Common areas for ingrown hairs are, for men, their beard area, moustache area, and back, and for women, legs, arms, and bikini zone.