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Medical Author:

Nili N. Alai, MD, FAAD

Nili N. Alai, MD, FAAD

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.

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Medical Author:

Gary W. Cole, MD, FAAD

Gary W. Cole, MD, FAAD

Dr. Cole is board certified in dermatology. He obtained his BA degree in bacteriology, his MA degree in microbiology, and his MD at the University of California, Los Angeles. He trained in dermatology at the University of Oregon, where he completed his residency.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

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.

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In this Article

• Ingrown hair facts
• What is an ingrown hair?
• What causes an ingrown hair?
• Who develops ingrown hairs?
• What are symptoms and signs of an ingrown hair?
• Are ingrown hairs the same as razor bumps or pseudofolliculitis?
• Are there any home remedies for an ingrown hair?
• What is the treatment for an ingrown hair?
• Do ingrown hairs affect the entire body?
• How is an ingrown hair diagnosed?
• Does diet have anything to do with ingrown hairs?
• What else could an ingrown hair look like?
• Can ingrown hairs be prevented?
• Patient Comments: Ingrown Hair - Treatments
• Patient Comments: Ingrown Hair - Experience
• Patient Comments: Ingrown Hair - Symptoms
• Find a local Dermatologist in your town
• Ingrown Hair Index

Hair that is cut short and close to the skin creates a sharp tip that can more easily pierce the skin to cause an ingrown hair. Improper shaving techniques are the major cause of ingrown hairs. Other hair-removal methods, including waxing, as well as common friction from tight clothing, may worsen the situation. Although an ingrown hair is primarily caused by improper or aggressive hair removal, it sometimes occurs naturally as too much dead skin debris blocks the hair follicle opening, causing the hair to grow sideways.

Nearly everyone will have an ingrown hair at some time. Overall, teenagers and adults are more prone to ingrown hairs. African-American individuals with thicker, coarser hairs tend to have the highest rate of problems with ingrown hairs.

Symptoms include itch and tenderness at the ingrown hair area. An ingrown hair can lead to a localized foreign-body inflammatory reaction, which causes the pinpoint red or pink bumps on the skin. Some of the bumps may be slightly red or have an accompanying light-red halo indicating inflammation. Sometimes, the curled hair can be barely visible at the center of the bump. Small pus bumps or dry red bumps are often scattered over an area that has been shaved recently. Often the bumps start a few days to weeks after hair removal and get worse as the hairs grow back. Acne whiteheads, called milia, may also be in the same areas as ingrown hairs.

Individuals who have ingrown hairs may experience a painful acne-like eruption after shaving. The upper skin layers may have some dilation of the small superficial blood vessels, which gives the skin a red or flushed appearance. Pustules and rare abscesses may form on the ingrown hair sites due to the infection with common skin bacteria, such as Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas.