A-Z about ingrown pimple

What is an Ingrown pimple?

Ingrown pimple occurs due to an ingrown hair. As the name suggests, ingrown hair results when a hair grows in the opposite direction i.e. downwards into the skin. The hair is then entrapped in the follicle and causes infection. An ingrown pimple is very painful and if ignored, can become a serious condition. It does not regress by itself, like other pimples do.

Causes

The most common cause of an ingrown pimple is repeated shaving or waxing of an area. So prefer using an electric shaver, instead of a conventional razor.

Other causes include naturally curly hair, that may grow in a wrong direction.

Treatment

Take a cloth and wet it with hot water. Dab your pimple with this cloth. This helps to open up the pores. This is the primary step that helps to soften the pimple.

Now, you can either apply benzoyl peroxide or any other antibiotic solution to clear the infection.

OR you can squeeze out the pus, if the whitehead is visible.

If the ingrown hair is visible, pluck it with a pair of sterile tweezers.

Prevention

Exfoliating your regularly shaved areas helps prevent an ingrown pimple. Dead skin covers the hair and can trap it.

Use a scrub or a mixture of baking soda and granulated sugar.