Ingrown Hair
Femi Lockhart

Health Reporter · Editorial staff

Femi Lockhart

Reports on the research and technology behind ingrown hair, with a focus on what the evidence actually supports.

7 stories by Femi Lockhart

A dermatologist examining small bumps on a patient's cheek with a handheld dermatoscope in a bright exam roomDispatch

Ingrown hair or something else? Telling razor bumps apart from the lookalikes

Acne, folliculitis, and keratosis pilaris all mimic ingrowns. The differences are visible if you know where to look.

· Femi Lockhart

A clinician's gloved hands gently examining a small firm bump on a patient's neck in an exam roomDispatch

Ingrown hair cysts: what that deep bump is and when it needs draining

Some ingrowns turn into a firm knot under the skin. Most settle on their own; a few genuinely need a clinician's blade.

· Femi Lockhart

A warm compress held against skin to soothe a healing ingrown hair over timeDispatch

Do ingrown hairs go away on their own?

Usually yes, and within a couple of weeks. Here is when to wait it out and when to get help.

· Femi Lockhart

An electric razor, a single-blade razor, and a tub of waxing strips laid side by sideDispatch

Best hair removal methods for ingrown-prone skin

Some methods cause ingrowns; others sidestep them entirely.

· Femi Lockhart

A clinician guiding a laser hair-reduction handpiece across a patient's skinDispatch

Laser hair reduction as the permanent fix for ingrowns

For chronic, scarring ingrowns, removing the hair removes the problem.

· Femi Lockhart

A warm compress held against irritated skin to soothe an inflamed ingrown hairDispatch

When an ingrown hair gets infected

How to tell a simple bump from one that needs care.

· Femi Lockhart

Close-up of a man's jaw and neck showing clustered razor bumps along the beard lineDispatch

Pseudofolliculitis barbae: razor bumps that scar

More than a nuisance, chronic beard-area ingrowns can leave lasting marks.

· Femi Lockhart

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