So What Is Ingrown Hair?

An ingrown hair is a condition where body hair stays embedded in the skin to grow sideways rather than rise out of the follicle. This condition usually begins as a minor irritation that advances to an infection called “Razor Bumps” when left untreated. Ingrown hair commonly appears in shaved-off portions of the skin and inflicts people who habitually trim bodily hair. Notice those bumps over shaven legs or beard? These are actually symptoms of ingrown hair formation. There are many factors that contribute to the growth of ingrown hair. If you have dry skin, then you have higher chances of developing ingrown hairs compared to people with healthy hides. A common characteristic over most types of ingrown hair is that an array of dead skin cells can be observed blocking the mouth of the follicle on such areas where they tend to appear. By nature, dead skin cells interrupt the natural growth patterns of hair as much as dislocate the typical upward crawl of hair. The propensity is even much higher for people born with curly manes that tend to grow in an untoward direction towards the skin or into another strand of hair outside its follicle. Curly hairs are usually coarser and stiffer that makes it more difficult for these hair types to extend properly towards the right direction. If we do not observe proper hygiene in the upkeep of a clean, healthy skin, there is a tendency for oil to get stuck on the cavities of the hair’s follicle which could induce the development of ingrown hairs. Nevertheless, most people inflicted with ingrown hairs observed such a condition after they started shaving. True enough, frequent shaving and waxing contribute greatly to the development of ingrown hairs. That is why ingrown hairs usually appear on the areas of the body that are often subjected to regular shaving like the legs, upper thigh, bikini line and upper lips. Moreover, if you practice improper shaving habits and use dull razors, then expect to get a handful of ingrown manes sooner or later. Most likely, the more frequent you shave merits the repeated treatment of this condition. The appearance of ingrown hair is usually characterized by the inflammation of the skin, followed by pus formation. If in any case you observe incessant soreness on a region of the skin apart from the emergence of a pimple-like bump, most likely an ingrown hair is moving its way deep into the skin tissues and away from the mouth of the follicle. But how does ingrown hair turn infectious? That happens when body hair is deliberately cut below the level of the skin. When the hair begins to grow again, it extends within the expanse of the skin tissue instead of moving out of the follicle. Ingrown hairs would eventually result to swelling, itchiness, discoloration of the skin and may develop into an infection. Ingrown hairs are definitely not a pretty sight. It disrupts the ultimate intent of sporting a healthy and blemish free skin. There are preventions though that we could easily follow to restrain, if not eliminate its growth.