Ingrown hairs: preventing rather than treating

Cut below the surface, a curly hair sometimes regrows curving back under the skin. The body reacts as to a foreign object: redness, a bump, sometimes pain.

Areas with curly hair and thin skin — neck, underarms, bikini line — are therefore the most affected.

• Shave with the grain, without stretching the skin excessively.
• Use a guarded blade on thin-skinned areas.
• Exfoliate gently twice a week, on non-shaving days.

That last step is the most effective and the most forgotten: it stops the dead-cell layer trapping the hair.

Picking or tweezing turns a mild inflammation into an infection and often leaves a lasting mark.

A soother and a few days are usually enough. A painful, hot or growing lump needs medical advice, not tweezers.