Ingrown Hair
Edmund Carvalho

Research Correspondent · Editorial staff

Edmund Carvalho

Edits the publication's service journalism on ingrown hair and assigns its reader-question pieces.

11 stories by Edmund Carvalho

A gym bag open on a locker room bench in daylight with folded compression leggings and a rolled towel, soft window light.Field Notes

Gym gear, wetsuits, and the bumps that are not ingrown hairs at all

A rash of small bumps under compression shorts or a wetsuit gets treated as ingrown hairs almost by default. Three very different things produce that picture, they need opposite responses, and the timing of when the bumps appeared tells you which one you have.

· Edmund Carvalho

A person seated on the edge of a bathtub in soft morning light, holding a razor above a lathered lower abdomen, preparing to shave before a medical appointment.Field Notes

Shaving before surgery: what to do about the hair, and when

Operating rooms gave up the preoperative razor decades ago because shaved skin gets infected more often. Nobody passed that message on to patients, who go home and shave the site themselves the night before, and that self shave is the one grooming decision no consent conversation asks about.

· Edmund Carvalho

An esthetician smoothing a wax strip onto a client's lower leg on a treatment table in a clean, sunlit spa roomField Notes

Waxing and ingrown hairs: why the regrowth gets trapped, and the aftercare that prevents it

Waxing skips the sharp shaved tip but sets its own trap. The two weeks after the appointment decide whether bumps follow.

· Edmund Carvalho

A warm damp compress pressed gently against irritated skin on a jawline in soft daylightField Notes

Why digging at an ingrown hair makes it worse, and how to free one safely

Tweezers and needles turn a small bump into a wound. The safe method is slower and far less satisfying.

· Edmund Carvalho

A man trimming his beard with an electric trimmer in front of a bathroom mirror, short even stubbleField Notes

Electric trimmers and guard shaving: the prevention tool hiding in plain sight

The closest shave is the problem. Leaving a millimeter of stubble removes the sharp tip that lets hair re-enter the skin.

· Edmund Carvalho

Close-up of smooth, calm skin along the bikini line after gentle hair removalField Notes

Ingrown hairs in the bikini area: why they happen and what helps

The bikini line is one of the most ingrown-prone spots on the body. Here is why, and how to calm it.

· Edmund Carvalho

A simple shelf of gentle exfoliant, moisturizer, and a clean razor for daily careField Notes

A simple routine to keep ingrowns away

Low-effort steps that prevent most razor bumps over time.

· Edmund Carvalho

Close-up of a freshly shaved lower leg with smooth, calm skinField Notes

Ingrown hairs on the legs, bikini line, and underarms

Body ingrowns follow the same rules, with a few area-specific tweaks.

· Edmund Carvalho

Close-up of skin with faint post-inflammatory dark spots left by past ingrown hairsField Notes

Ingrown hairs and the dark spots they leave behind

The discoloration often outlasts the bump, and is treatable.

· Edmund Carvalho

A person shaving with a clean single-blade razor and shaving gel in good lightField Notes

How to prevent ingrown hairs when you shave

A handful of technique changes prevent most of them.

· Edmund Carvalho

Extreme close-up of a single curled hair re-entering the surface of the skinField Notes

What actually causes an ingrown hair

The mechanics of a hair curling back into the skin, and who gets them most.

· Edmund Carvalho

All entries