An In Grown hair is caused when a hair fails to grow freely, either by curling back into the follicle or sideways under the skin, this can occur when hair is shaved or waxed and the follicle becomes blocked by bacteria, oils or cosmetic build up.

Thick and Curly hair that have been recently shaved or waxed are the most common causes of ingrown hairs.  However, ingrown hairs can appear anywhere on the body.  Tight clothing, broken or uneven, sharp tipped hairs, curly hair that curls back into the pore after shaving can also cause ingrown hairs.  Lastly, stress which can cause high hormone production and excessive production of certain sex hormones can cause excessive oil, cell growth, dead cell accumulation and hair growth. 

Symptoms include:

• Itching
• Rashes
• Irritation
• Inflammation
• Localised pain
• Skin that is tender to the touch
• Infected pore/follicle (folliculitis) or razor bumps (pseudofolliculitis barbae).

Side effects of ingrown hairs include:

• Embarrassment
• Constant, persistent inflamed and broken skin
• Pain and inflammation leading to longer healing time
• Possible doctors visit to cut out the infection with a needle or scalpel to release the infection
• Antibiotic use leading to bacterial infections in the mouth and tooth decay
• Steroids to bring down the swelling
• Skin discoloration and pigmentation
• Scars

Home treatments include:

• Preparing the skin before shaving by opening the pores with a warm washcloth or shaving in the shower – keep pore warm and soft
• Shaving in the direction of your hair growth
• Exfoliation – Using a face brush or exfoliation mitt in small circular motions with clear bacteria and oils build and encourage new hair out of the follicle
• Cosmetics containing pore clearing acids
• Non-steroidal ANTI-INFLAMMATORY drugs like Ibuprofen
• After shave creams that disinfect and soften pores/follicles
• Apply good quality cosmetics that are a low molecular size ensuring it is absorbed into the skin rather than clogging the pores.
• Good home care routine including cleansing, toner and moisturiser. Along with weekly pore minimiser mask

Salon treatments include:

• Blue and NIR LED light treatments kill bacteria, reduce inflammation, clearing pores and dead skin cells. LED increases cell turnover reducing scarring, promotes collagen and elastin formation for skin remodeling and anti-aging.
• Dermaplaning is a deep exfoliation treatment that removes the top layers of dead skin along with vellus hair, clearing our open pores and allowing the fresh new skin to absorb products more efficiently.
• Targeted personalised facials that focus on specific skin needs.

“I’m a youthful 50 year old Mediterranean fella (this is sounding like a dating ad!!) I’ve suffered with in-grown hairs pretty much since I started shaving, it’s got worse in the last few years, I think due to stress, in particular along the jaw and neck line.

I’ve been to the GP on a few occasions and tried antibiotics and fusidic acid, neither did much. I was also advised to stop wet shaving.Under duress from my long suffering wife and in desperation I contacted Sophia and shared my skin woes!Sophia is a font of knowledge even against my scepticism she explained, with humour which put me at ease, what treatments may help.

I followed her advice and booked in for her “No Contact LED Phototherapy” treatment. I’m not sure about all this relaxation business as being a typical broke I felt a little uncomfortable at first, but with the aid of Alexa’s 80’s pop quiz the whole experience was rather pleasant!!

I was a bit weirded out after the treatment but don’t think my skin has ever been this clean! I’ve come away with a glimmer of hope, a lot more knowledge and lots of tips and product advice!Thanks Sophia I’m off to brush up on my music knowledge as well as my face as instructed!!! ”