Dealing with Ingrown Hair, a Dermatologist Weighs In

From your eyebrows to your bikini line—whether you shave, tweeze, or wax—ingrown hairs can happen to the best of us. And, while the initial reaction may be to grab the nearest pair of tweezers to pluck your problem away—inevitably leading to broken skin, the need for band-aids, and possible scarring—you may want to hold off. If you’re dealing with an ingrown hair and want to get rid of it, back away from the tweezers, and check out what board-certified dermatologist, and Skincare.com expert, Dr. Dendy Engelman has to say.

“Ingrown hairs are hairs that have curled around and grown back into your skin, instead of rising up from it,” Dr. Engelman says. The result? Anything from a small bump on the skin’s surface to pain and itchiness.

While you may feel like the quickest way to get rid of ingrown hairs is to dig in with your favorite tweezers, you should rethink that plan. “Often, an ingrown hair will go away on its own,” she says. If it doesn’t go away, an ingrown hair can become infected, darken the skin, or leave behind a scar—especially if you’ve been scratching or picking at it.” To help speed things along, she suggests using a “warm compress to soften your skin and allow the hair to break back through the surface of the skin.”

Ingrown hairs are hairs that have curled around and grown back into your skin, instead of rising up from it.

If an ingrown hair becomes especially bothersome—or irritated—Dr. Engelman suggests seeing your dermatologist. “Your doctor can make a small opening in your skin with a sterile needle or scalpel to release it.”

Lesson learned? The next time you find yourself face-to-face with a pesky ingrown hair, keep the tweezers away.