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Stop The Same Ingrown Hairs Coming Back

Ingrown hairs on your face and neck are a pain. Read this if you want immediate relief, prevention, treatment choices or a way to stop the same hairs coming back.

Deal With The Hair That Hurts Right Now

Stop Shaving Over The Sore Patch

Keep the blade away from the sore area until it calms down. If you keep on shaving across it, the hair gets cut back, catches the swollen skin and gives that same hair the chance to dig straight back into your face again. You’re better off with a small patch of stubble than a sore lump that gets opened every morning.

Use A Microdart Patch On Buried Hair

Yes, somebody has finally made a patch for the exact bump you are staring at. An ingrown-hair microdart patch has hundreds of tiny dissolving points that press into the surface of the bump and carry ingredients such as salicylic acid straight into the trapped area. It also covers the spot, so you can stop touching it every ten minutes to see whether the hair has moved.
Clean and dry the skin, place the patch directly over the bump and press it down for ten seconds. Leave it on for at least six hours or wear it overnight. 
The patch gets to work on the skin trapping the hair, calms the angry bump and may help the hair move closer to the surface.
Put it on and go to bed. There is no needle to balance and no hair to hunt for.

Only Use Tweezers When You Can See The Hair

If you see a curved tip or loop of hair, you can help it out. Hold a warm wet cloth over the bump for ten seconds, then get under a bright light with a pair of clean pointed tweezers. Slip one tip beneath the loop and lift the trapped end free. Just lift it - don’t pluck the hair or dig at the root.
If you can’t see the hair then put the tweezers down. Don’t push the point into the skin, scrape the bump open or keep searching until you draw blood. 
Use another microdart patch and wait. Digging at it will leave you with a wound, a dark mark, and the same buried hair.

Change The Way You Shave

small arrows show direction change of hair growth on mans cheek, jawline and neck

Map The Direction Of Your Beard

“Shave downwards” - that advice only works when the hair grows downwards. But the hair around your neck and under your jaw can grow sideways, upwards or in little swirls that change direction halfway across your face.
Let your beard grow for a day or two, then take clear photos of your neck from the front and on both sides. Zoom in and follow the direction of your stubble. Keep the photos on your phone and use them as a map the next time you shave.
You may need to shave down one part of your neck, across another and upwards beneath the jaw. Always follow the hair, don’t treat your whole beard as though it grows in one direction.

Leave One Millimetre Behind

Use a 1 mm guard on your trimmer and read the length settings properly. Don't just assume that any electric shaver will do the job - ome foil shavers cut almost as close to the skin as a blade.
All you need is one light pass in the direction your hair grows. Don’t stretch, pull or press harder on the skin. We know it's really tempting to keep going over missed hairs till your neck feels smooth - but don't do it. If your skin is already sensitive, a perfectly smooth shave can trigger your next round of sore bumps.

Treat The Skin Between Shaves

You’re standing in front of a shelf full of acids, spot treatments and little bottles that all promise to sort out your skin. You don’t need the whole lot.

Buy Treatments For A Specific Problem

You can see hairs trapped under the skin

Salicylic acid or glycolic acid
help keep the follicle opening clear. Use one acid between shaves, not straight after you’ve dragged a blade across your neck.

The bumps are red, sore or have white heads

Benzoyl peroxide
can help to calm inflamed bumps and pus-filled spots. It can bleach fabric, so keep it away from your favourite towel. Don’t use it on broken skin.

The soreness has gone but the dark marks have stayed

Azelaic acid
fades dark marks left by your last trapped hair.

When The Same Ingrown Hairs Keep Coming Back

So, you’ve changed the way you shave, used the right products and followed professional advice, but your bumps still show up.
GMC Register - Specialist Doctor Look up

Find A Dermatologist Who Deals With Shaving Bumps

You’ve already seen your GP and you've still got painful bumps. Don’t book another general appointment and hope someone has a fresh idea.
Search for dermatology clinics near you. You want a clinic with a consultant dermatologist who deals with painful shaving bumps or pseudofolliculitis barbae. Once you’ve found the doctor’s name, look them up on the GMC Medical Register and make sure Dermatology appears under their specialist registration.
When you’re sure about their credentials, ring the clinic and say, “I keep getting painful shaving bumps on my neck or around my sideburns. Is this something the dermatologist treats regularly?” You need to check that the doctor is experienced in the job you want done, before you book the appointment.

Remove Hair From The Troublesome Patch

If you’re sick of getting ingrown hairs in the same patch, you can have those hairs reduced with laser hair reduction.
Let the practitioner see your beard map photos and show them exactly where the troublesome hairs grow. Whether it's a narrow strip across your neck, a small patch beneath your jaw or the edge of a sideburn that never behaves itself, be clear about what you want gone.
You’ll need several sessions, so it’s not an answer for the sore hair you have today.
Choose a specialist who regularly works with your skin tone, and make it clear that you want the troublesome patch treated, not a newly designed beard.
If your skin is still giving you grief, these should help.
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