Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer
Kerr uses a light to identify the in-grown hair of Hutchinson's face. Then, with a sterilised in-grown hair extractor she removes the hair. - IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
SINCE KARL Reid started growing a beard in his teens, he has been troubled with ingrown hair. His first experience with ingrown hair was when he shaved his sideburns while still in high school. Mr. Reid, now 26, notes that his beard area and sometimes the back of his neck were covered with ingrown hair whenever he got a clean shave or used a razor blade.
"It (ingrown hair) is terrible. It's tough, it itches and is very ugly. Sometimes I wish I had not grown a beard," he says.
Mr. Reid is not alone. As Jennifer Samuda, managing director of Jencare Skin Farm says, ingrown hair is a black man's curse. Mrs. Samuda explains that an ingrown hair curls and penetrates the skin with its tip, causing inflammation. "Ingrown hairs are more common among people with very curly hair. The hair will grow and curl beneath the skin," says Mrs. Samuda.
Chris Campbell, a barber at Upper Cut Barbers, says that certain skin types are more prone to ingrown hair. As such for certain skin types, the hair cannot be shaved too low.
Main causes and effects of ingrown hair:
CAUSES
Skin suffering from lack of moisture.
Stiff beard hair.
Embedded oil in the hair follicles.
Build-up of dead skin cells in the pores and on the surface of the skin can cause ingrown hairs - some are more prone to this than others due to genetics.
Coarse curly hair growing in a curved hair follicle.
Improper shaving technique, such as too close a shave with a blade .
Hair removal methods such as shaving, waxing, tweezing, electrolysis, often irritate the hair follicle.
EFFECTS
Constant tenderness
Trapped, ingrown hairs cause inflammation which result in the body forming papule - a small, raised, abnormality on the skin commonly known as a bump giving rise to the term 'razor bumps'.
The body can also respond by producing a pustule - a blister on the skin containing pus.
An infected pustule can become ruptured resulting in bleeding.
Itching.
Tingling.
Pain - mild or severe.
Hard, prominent, irregular scar tissue in the skin in chronic cases.
Treating ingrown hair
It's best not to shave hair off as the skin might rip causing it to scar. Samuda notes that ingrown hair often heals on its own. However, in the case of chronic ingrown hairs, treatment may include:
Allowing the hair to grow longer.
Electrolysis.
Laser hair removal: the perfect solution for folliculitis, also known as ingrown hair. It's a light and it goes into the folic removing the hair, getting to the root of the problem thus eliminating flocking or digging the skin, says Mrs. Samuda.
Using a sterilised ingrown hair extractor.
Mrs. Samuda recommends using some cold water and an after-shave or a moisturiser after shaving to help close pores and heal skin.
Ingrown hair products for lasting treatment
Chris Campbell of Upper Cut Barbers, Liguanea, St. Andrew recommends these products for preventing and removing ingrown hair:
After-shave Tend Skin
Bump Eraser
Mrs. Samuda says anything that can be used to tighten the hair follicle, preventing the hair from growing back in, products with salicylic acid to synchronise the hair folic.
As home remedy: mix baking soda in water, put in the refrigerator to cool then dab on the face, this will tighten the hair follicle. Do once a day depending on how problematic situation is.
Vitamin C collagen, made by Jencare Skin Farm, which is used to massage the entire face leaving the face silky and smooth and shed dead cells.
Preventing ingrown hair
People with straight hair who do not yet have ingrown hair can shave with a razor. However, I wouldn't recommend a black man to use a razor alone for shaving, as they are prone to ingrown hair, says Mr. Campbell.
Shave with an outliner machine made by Andis, he recommends. That's the perfect machine to shave with to prevent ingrown hair and the client will have his own cleaning agents.
Do not shave too low.
Additional sources: http://ezinearticles.com/?Ingrown-Hair---Seven-Causes-and-Eight-Effects&id=77; http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/adult_derm/inhair.cfm.
