Dr. Alai is an actively practicing medical and surgical dermatologist in south Orange County, California. She has been a professor of dermatology and family medicine at the University of California, Irvine since 2000. She is U.S. board-certified in dermatology, a 10-year-certified fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, and Fellow of the American Society of Mohs Surgery.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
If you opt to shave your bikini area, you can avoid
irritation by following these tips from Julie Harper, MD, clinical associate
professor of dermatology at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and a
spokeswoman for Philips Healthcare:
Treat razor burn and ingrown hairs by gently exfoliating the affected area
with a washcloth in the shower. You can also trim the hair short (avoid shaving)
until the redness and irritation has subsided.
Resist the urge to perform DIY
surgery on razor bumps and ingrown hairs. The bump could get infected and you
might be left with an ugly scar. You can try gently lifting ingrown hairs with a
toothpick, but don't use anything too sharp. If the hair doesn't lift easily,
stop, and if the area is tender or hot to the touch, see your doctor.
Refrain
from taking hot showers or baths for several hours after removing hair. If the
water is too hot, pores can become irritated, causing unwanted bumps and
discomfort.
Steer clear of workouts and tight clothing immediately after
grooming to avoid irritation. Skin can be extra-sensitive to bacteria, moisture,
and chafing from your workout clothes.
Many women prefer longer-lasting results,
however, and opt for the bikini wax.
Hair removal is one of the top three
services requested in spas, according to Spa Trade, a spa industry business
resource.
Ingrown hairs are a benign skin disorder commonly
seen in teenagers and adults.
Ingrown hairs more frequently occur in adult men
with darker skin or African-American skin.
Ingrown hairs commonly occur on
shaved areas, such as the face, neck, armpit, legs, and pubic region.
Ingrown
hairs look like scattered, pinpoint tan or red bumps.
Ingrown hairs can be
cosmetically disfiguring.
Ingrown hairs are often caused by improper shaving.
Ingrown hairs may resolve on their own without treatment.
Infection of skin
can occur.
Avoid close shaves to prevent ingrown hair.
Ingrown hairs may
require ongoing maintenance therapy.
Many topical creams are available to help
control ingrown hairs.
A combination of treatments may be needed to achieve the
best result.
Laser hair removal can be a good option to prevent ingrown hairs.
What is an ingrown hair?
An ingrown hair happens when the sharp tip of the
hair curls back or grows sideways into the skin. It is a benign condition, which
usually appears as a small tan or sometimes pink bump under the skin. Often, a
small pinpoint (often dark) part of the underlying hair may be seen under the
skin bump. In more extensive cases, multiple small red or pink little bumps
around hair follicles may be seen on any skin area that has been frequently
shaved, such as the face, neck, armpits, legs, and pubic region.
Ingrown hair is a very common skin condition occurring primarily after
puberty. Ingrown hairs tend to be more common in areas with coarse hairs, like
the bikini area in women, and beard and neck in men. Individuals with thicker,
coarser hairs, such as African Americans, tend to have the highest rate of
problems with ingrown hairs, particularly of the beard area. Rarely, an ingrown
hair may also appear in other skin parts, such as the eyelid. Generally, an ingrown
hair is medically harmless, yet it may become cosmetically disfiguring and lead
to scarring, skin discoloration (referred to as post-inflammatory
hyperpigmentation), skin infection, and rarely keloid scar formation.
A boil is a skin abscess, a collection of
pus localized deep in the skin. There are several different types of boils. Among them are the following: furuncle or
carbuncle, Cystic acne, Hidradenitis suppurativa, and Pilonidal cyst.
Staphylococcus or Staph is a group of bacteria that can cause a multitude of diseases. Staph infections can cause illness directly by infection or indirectly by the toxins they produce. Symptoms and signs of a Staph infection include redness, swelling, pain, and drainage of pus. Minor skin infections are treated with an antibiotic ointment, while more serious infections are treated with intravenous antibiotics.
Acne is a localized skin inflammation as a result of overactivity of oil glands at the
base of hair follicles. This inflammation, depending on its location, can take the form
of a superficial pustule (contains pus), a pimple, a deeper cyst, congested pores, whiteheads, or blackheads. Treatments vary depending on the severity of the acne.
Itching can be a common problem. Itches can be localized or generalized. There are many causes of itching to include: infection (jock itch, vaginal itch), disease (hyperthyroidism, liver or kidney), reactions to drugs, and skin infestations (pubic or body lice). Treatment for itching varies depending on the cause of the itch.
Folliculitis is a skin condition that causes small red bumps to form around the hair follicles. Skin bacteria such as Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas my infect the follicles. Treatment involves over-the-counter bacterial washes, topical antibiotics, and/or topical steroids.
A keloid is a scar that doesn't know when to stop. When the cells keep on reproducing, the result is an overgrown (hypertrophic) scar or a keloid. A keloid looks shiny and is often dome-shaped, ranging in color from slightly pink to red. It feels hard and thick and is always raised above the surrounding skin.
A pilonidal cyst is a cyst that forms near the cleft of the buttocks. The cysts are thought to be caused by the penetration of loose hairs into the skin. Symptoms and signs include pain, swelling, redness, warmth, and drainage of pus from the area of the cyst. Treatment of a pilonidal cyst involves incision and drainage.
The time when boys and girls begin the process of sexual maturation is called puberty. During this time, both sexes undergo a series of biological changes that include a rapid increase in height, bone growth, weight increase, the growth of pubic hair, breast development and the onset of menstruation in girls, and testicle, penis, and muscle enlargement in boys.
Scar formation is a natural part of the healing process after injury. The depth and size of the wound incision and the location of the injury impact the scar's characteristics, but your age, heredity and even sex or ethnicity will affect how your skin reacts.
Teenagers recognize that they are developmentally between child and adult. Teen health prevention includes maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, preventing injuries and screening annually for potential health conditions that could adversely affect teenage health.
Staphylococcus is a group of bacteria that can cause a number of diseases as a result of infection of various tissues of the body.
Staphylococcus is more familiarly known as Staph (pronounced "staff"). Staph-related illness can range from mild and requiring no treatment to severe and potentially fatal.
The name Staphylococcus comes from the Greek staphyle, meaning a bunch of grapes, and
kokkos, meaning berry, and that is what Staph bacteria look like under the microscope, like a bunch of grapes or little round berries. (In technical terms, these are gram-positive, facultative anaerobic, usually unencapsulated cocci.)
Over 30 different types of Staphylococci can infect humans, but most infections are caused by
Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococci can be found normally in the nose and on the skin (and less commonly in other locations) of 25%-30% of healthy adults. In the majo...
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