Infected Ingrown Hair

If you have suffered from painful ingrown hairs with redness, it may result in an infection.

An ingrown hair is usually caused by dead skin cells clogging a hair follicle which forces the hair to grow sideways or under the skin rather than up and out. This can cause discomfort with its pimple like appearance being itchy and at times painful. 

More often than not, an ingrown hair will make its way back out on its own but if it doesn’t you have an infection or notice the skin to actually scar. 

If you believe you have a mild infection, you can try these at home remedies including:

1. Lightly washing the area with a warm cloth to encourage the hair to loosen from the follicle and rise to the surface;
2. Apply tea tree oil to prevent the infection from getting worse;
3. Use calming oatmeal-based lotions to soothe the irritation.

Try not to pull, pick, dig or squeeze at the bump as this will only make it worse and could potentially result in scarring. If you do try to remove the hair, do it gently once you have applied the warm compress and can clearly see the hair below the skins surface.

If your infected ingrown hair doesn’t improve with the above, you may need to visit your doctor. Often, they make a small cut with a sterile needle to release the ingrown hair. Afterwards they may prescribe medicine to reduce the swelling and irritation, remove any dead skin cells and potentially antibiotics to treat the infection.