Treatment and prevention of ingrown pubic hair

Ingrown pubic hair is hair that instead of growing on the surface of the skin grows inward. This leads to pustules, where the surrounding skin becomes darker, also known as hyperpigmentation. So how to treat and prevent ingrown pubic hair?

Ingrown pubic hair in the intimate area is the hair that instead of growing on the surface of the skin, it grows back into the skin. This can happen when pubic hair is shaved, plucked, or waxed. When ingrown hairs get inside the skin, the body reacts to it as a foreign body and begins to experience symptoms such as pain, itching, redness, or swelling.
Ingrown pubic hair can improve on its own without medical intervention. However, if the condition occurs frequently and the number of ingrown hairs is excessive, or causes discomfort that affects your life, choose the appropriate treatment.

Stop waxing, shaving or plucking in the intimate area with ingrown hairs, when the hair is gone, you can wax it again. Continuing to shave pubic hair will aggravate the sensitive area even more. Scratching or plucking at the ingrown hair will increase your discomfort and can even lead to a skin infection or scarring.

Place warm compresses on the area of ​​ingrown hairs. You can also rub a wet washcloth or soft toothbrush in circular motions over your skin.

Once pubic hair emerges above the skin, use sterile tweezers or a needle to gently pull them out. You should not attempt to pluck it out completely until the intimate area is healed, or the skin has healed over the hair. Don't dig into your skin because if the impact is strong, breaking your skin can cause an infection.

Gently wash and exfoliate around ingrown pubic hair to help bring hair back to the skin's surface. If that doesn't work, your doctor may prescribe a medication that can help the dead skin cells slough off more quickly.

If ingrown pubic hair is causing a lot of redness and inflammation in the intimate area, your doctor may prescribe a steroid cream. This topical treatment can reduce swelling and irritation around the ingrown hair area.

Retinol is also known as vitamin A. The active ingredient retinol can be broken down to form some other form of vitamin A and appears in the ingredients of skin care products or topical creams that remove the skin, for example. tretinoin (Renova, Retin-A), for example, can speed the clearing of dead skin cells. They can also help clear up dark patches of skin caused by ingrown pubic hair. You will need a prescription from your doctor for retinoids to minimize the risk of irritation and side effects. However, these retinol medications can cause dry skin. Do not use any products with retinoids if you are pregnant. The medicine retinol can be dangerous to the baby and cause birth defects.

Treating the pubic area before using a razor to shave can help reduce the risk of ingrown hairs when hair starts to grow back. First, wash your intimate area with a gentle soap. Rub into lubricating shaving cream or shaving gel, or another product designed for sensitive areas. Once you've completed the steps above, dry the intimate area thoroughly before putting on underwear and pants.

Some razors are designed to reduce the risk of ingrown hairs. You can try your hand at choosing one of these specialty razors, or just buy a single-blade razor.
If your razor is an old or someone else's, replace it with a new one to prevent the risk of infectious diseases. Additionally, dull blades won't make clean, precise cuts and can increase the risk of ingrown pubic hair.

Laser hair removal is a long-term solution for ingrown hairs but is expensive. Laser hair removal removes hair at a deeper level and damages the hair follicle. In most cases, it is effective in preventing pubic hair from growing back.
Laser hair removal requires several treatments that last for weeks to months, but the results are usually semi-permanent. Laser hair removal is not effective on yellow or very light hair.

Chemical pubic hair removal is an option, but they can be irritating to sensitive skin. Test the hair remover on a small patch of skin on another part of your body before using it on your ingrown pubic hair area. If you do not have an allergic reaction within 24 hours, it is safe to use. Always remember, the skin on the genital area is much more sensitive than the skin on other parts of the body like on the arms or legs. Some prescription creams reduce hair regrowth, especially when you use them after lasers or other hair removal treatments.
Electrolysis is a permanent hair removal treatment. It uses an electrode to destroy the root of the hair. Like laser hair removal, electrolysis requires several treatments that last for several weeks or months.
In short, ingrown pubic hair is not a serious problem and it can go away on its own without medical intervention. However, in case it causes discomfort as well as complications affecting you, go to a medical facility for appropriate treatment and effective prevention.
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Reference source: healthline.com