If you've been waxing for years, you know the miserable cycle all too well, a smooth week or two, then the bumps, the redness, the painful little trapped hairs, the dark spots that linger for months. A permanent solution to this cycle is actually ingrown hair laser treatment which is considered to be one of the few permanent solutions. It is no quick solution, no second costly exfoliator and no other ingrained hair gel. Laser for ingrown hair is sometimes the only skin care product choice that Indians will make with the coarse hair, prone to curl, and easily pigmented skin.
Why Waxing Causes Ingrown Hairs The Biology
Waxing pulls the hair off at the root, which is a comprehensive way, but the process of regrowth is where the hitch lies. New hair that is forced back through a healing follicle can seldom come out neatly.
Repeated waxing also interferes with the skin barrier, which results in uneven follicle opening and more likely to get blocked. In coarse and curly hair or hair with a medium-to-thick diameter, precisely the type of hair most Indian body hair possesses, chances of the hairs curling back into the skin increase exponentially.
With time, there is a loop formed by chronic waxing whereby wax leads to ingrown hair which eventually leads to inflammation, then damages the skin, which leads to more ingrown hair.
The only way to leave this cycle is by permanently eliminating the source of hair or hair ingrowth which explains why laser for ingrown hair is effective when all other treatment options have been exhausted.
Why Indian Skin Is More Prone to Post-Waxing Ingrown Hairs?
There is a particular set of characteristics of Indian skin and hair, which complicates the ingrowth of hair. The hair is usually thick, darker and naturally curled (with a pattern) all these increase the chances of the hairs curling back into the skin after waxing.
To top this, Indian skin contains a lot of melanin which can easily develop post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) or dark spots that remain long after the ingrowth of the hair has been remedied.
This is why ingrown hair waxing solution India searches have exploded, women and men alike are realising that the ingrown hair itself is only half the problem; the dark spots left behind are the other half. Waxing alone doesn't solve either.
Confused if you should go for laser hair removal or not? Explore 10 signs that make you the perfect candidate for laser hair removal.
Dermatologist Insight: IV to VI types of skin in Fitzpatrick scale (which includes majority of Indians) exhibit a much greater PIH following skin inflammation. The best method of preventing persistent pigmentation is to get rid of the source of inflammation (the hair itself).
How Laser Permanently Solves the Ingrown Hair Problem?
The beautiful reasoning of ingrown hair laser treatment is as follows: no ingrown hair = no hair. Ever. The energy of a laser is directed down the hair shaft and it destroys the follicle itself, the part of the body that makes the hair.
During a period of 6-8 treatments the treated follicles may completely cease to produce hair or produce such fine, sparse hair that it is not able to curl back and get trapped under the skin.
On top of that, there is a surprise that occurs during your initial 2-3 laser sessions; the already growing in hairs will just naturally pop out as the damaged hair will fall off through the skin. The inflammatory process is interrupted in nearly no time, the process usually takes only a month of treatment.
This is how permanent ingrown hair fix is not marketing hyperbole, it is biology. Laser has been one of the few therapies FDA has approved as having permanent hair removal and in doing so, permanently fixes ingrown hair, as well. The transformation is great to anyone who has been putting years on the wavy lines of the bikini, underarms razor-ed, or legs ingrowns.
Our Pre and Post Care blog to Laser Hair Removal gives you an idea of what to expect prior to beginning.
What to Do About Ingrown Hairs Right Now (Before You Start Laser)
Take a bath and bathe often. Washcloth or soft body brush. Wipe down, twice a week in the shower area to loosen up stuck hair. Stay away from vigorous physical scrubs, they exacerbate the inflammation.
- Chemical exfoliant: Salicylic acid (BHA) or glycolic acid (AHA) are contained in products that dissolve the dead skin that prevents the hair to surface. Find 2 percent salicylic acid body sprays or pads, which are used on the ingrown areas prone every 2-3 days.
- No squeezing or digging at ingrowns: We understand it is a temptation. But packing a bacteria further aggravates scarring, and more or less ensures post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, the dark spots that will live as long as the ingrowth.
- Refer to a dermatologist in severe cases: In case of deep cysts, recurrent infections, and keloid-scarred ingrowths, a dermatologist is able to remove them safely, and may prescribe a short-course topical retinoid. Don't put up with it, get professional assistance to get to the laser candidacy.
Post-Waxing Dark Spots from Ingrown Hairs Can Laser Help?
Yes, not directly but very much. Laser does not remove post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation but by removing the source of hair, it removes the cause of the inflammation that causes those dark spots in the first place. When no more ingrowns are appearing, the PIH starts to fade itself in 3-6 months as the skin is in the normal cycles.
To achieve quicker fading, dermatologists will typically combine laser with topical brightening agents niacinamide, azelaic acid, kojic acid and mild vitamin C. In more extreme situations a series of chemical peels, or pigmentation-specific laser toning (not to be confused with hair removal) can be prescribed.
The ingrown hair bikini laser removal long term effect is factual: women with bikini dark spots that have had a hard time getting rid of over the years have testified to have seen significant improvement within 6-12 months of undergoing laser hair removal.
Combine with a number of laser touch up sessions a year and the overall effect will be truly life changing to any one self-conscience about ingrown pigmentation.
Body Areas Where Ingrown Hairs Are Most Common And How Many Sessions Help Each
Ingrown hairs grow in places where coarse hair is, areas of friction, and where there is recurrent grooming. This is a brief guide to the areas in which they hit most, and the number of sessions on the laser which usually resolve the issue:
