# Do these things go away on their own? (Ingrown hairs) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 23, 2005, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839 "2005-03-23T04:07:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/1 "2005-03-23T04:07:32Z")
I think I have an ingrown hair. I noticed it about a week ago, and it was very small. A small dark bump, about the size of a very large pimple. I don’t know why, but two days ago it started getting bigger. Today when I woke up it rubbed on my pants, and indirectly kept me from going to the gym and running. (TMI ahead- It is right on the front where the pants stop- I.E slightly above the pubic hair area) I was sort of worried it might be Melanoma or something, as I have tanned recently, but today alone it has swelled up and looks to be pus filled. There looks to be two folicles in the bump, which combined with the appearance and abundance of pus, make me pretty sure it is an ingrown hair or two. Do these things typically go away? Or will I have to break down and go to the doctor, something I really cannot afford right now? ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/2 "2005-03-23T04:12:01Z")
Usually they are easily self-treated. 1. Grit teeth. 2. Squeeze hard. 3. Shout obscenity. Please leave your insurance information at the front desk on your way out. ---
**Author:** ![Tragarete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Tragarete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tragarete)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/3 "2005-03-23T04:52:43Z")
You’re kidding me, right? “Go away on their own?” You would wait around for this? I can’t believe there are people out there who leave these things alone. A doctor may tell you differently, but I’d squeeze it without delay! ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/4 "2005-03-23T05:29:53Z")
Or poke it with a sterile needle. That’s what I do. Then flip the hair out and pluck 'em. Follow up with antibacterial ointment. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/5 "2005-03-23T05:31:28Z")
Antibiotic ointment, is what I meant to say. ---
**Author:** ![Skellington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Skellington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skellington)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/6 "2005-03-23T08:42:22Z")
On a related topic… Is there a way to prevent ingrown hairs caused by waxing? Does scrubbing really work? What about creams and soaps that claim to? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/7 "2005-03-23T09:12:24Z")
Get yourself a pair of GOOD [tweezers](http://www.tweezerman.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Store.viewProduct&product_ID=40) gently insert the tip of the tweezers under the skin to pop it out, and then pull out the hair. Squeeze out pus as needed. Clean skin with alcohol or astringent, and tweezers with alcohol. I very rarely put any ointment on these little wounds, and mostly they don’t need it. I am not a doctor. I’m the wife of a guy who gets LOTS of ingrown hairs, all over his body. I’ve been removing his ingrown hairs for nearly 28 years now. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/8 "2005-03-23T10:57:56Z")
I find removing them strangely satisfying for some reason, I’ve had quite a few of them since I started shaving down below 😛 ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/9 "2005-03-23T17:38:54Z")
And don’t forget to write the details in an update. If you want really scary tales of ingrown hairs, [pilonidal.org](http://pilonidal.org) is your friend. If you don’t want to squeeze, put a hot compress on it to help it come to a head and burst on its own. If it is infected though, I’d tweeze and clean it. ---
**Author:** ![Skellington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Skellington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skellington)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/10 "2005-03-24T11:44:02Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > I find removing them strangely satisfying for some reason, I’ve had quite a few of them since I started shaving down below 😛 It’s heaps worse if you upgrade to waxing! ---
**Author:** ![Acaciacath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@Acaciacath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acaciacath)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/11 "2005-03-24T12:01:28Z")
Actually I’ve found waxing is so much better than shaving, especially the pubic area. Only rarely do I get any ingrown hairs, which I must admit does sadden me, but the ones I do get are easier to get rid of. And I well remember the hell of regrowth after shaving the pubic area but with waxing I only get problems with regrowth in a certian area, (which is way to TMI to share), and I only get that problem if I leave it too long between waxes. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/12 "2005-03-24T13:07:53Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > I am not a doctor. I’m the wife of a guy who gets LOTS of ingrown hairs, all over his body. I’ve been removing his ingrown hairs for nearly 28 years now. And thus we see what the word “love” really means. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/13 "2005-03-24T16:07:43Z")
> [@lee](#): > > If you don’t want to squeeze, put a hot compress on it to help it come to a head and burst on its own. If it is infected though, I’d tweeze and clean it. Should the hot compress be moist, or is dry heat suitable? Would removal of ingrown hairs be easier after a bath (when supposedly your pores open up more). ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/14 "2005-03-24T16:09:00Z")
… sorry one more thing. Would hydrogen peroxide solution be good for cleaning the pores afterwards? ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/15 "2005-03-24T17:45:10Z")
Hot compress: Fold a clean washcloth in half, then half again and again and again until it is a thick square shape. Using water as hot as you can stand, thoroughly wet the compress and squeeze it out and then wet it again with very hot running water and quickly squeeze it out as dry as you can . Place it gingerly on the affected area. As soon as you can, hold it firmly in place. As it cools, open and refold to get another hotter area on the pore. Do this until the compress is merely warm. My husband is better at making the compresses than I am because he can stand hotter water and squeezes the water out more thoroughly. Be careful not to put a dripping wet compress on the affected area. You can get scalded by the drips. Never apply a hot compress to a child or a peron with limited sensation or a limited ability to communicate. What is merely hot to you could burn them. If they can’t feel it the burn can get bad and be left untreated. Hot baths are good as well, but the compresses seem to help localize the inflamation. They can also help alleviate the pain of a bad zit with or without squeezing. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/16 "2005-03-24T18:04:31Z")
Thanks for the info everybody. I used a hot compress followed by a hot shower. Popped right open and seems to be doing fine now. Didn’t have to use tweezers, but we will see if it comes back, because I couldn’t find the hairs. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/17 "2005-03-24T23:04:11Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > Get yourself a pair of GOOD [tweezers](http://www.tweezerman.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Store.viewProduct&product_ID=40) gently insert the tip of the tweezers under the skin to pop it out, and then pull out the hair. Squeeze out pus as needed. Clean skin with alcohol or astringent, and tweezers with alcohol. I very rarely put any ointment on these little wounds, and mostly they don’t need it. > > I am not a doctor. I’m the wife of a guy who gets LOTS of ingrown hairs, all over his body. I’ve been removing his ingrown hairs for nearly 28 years now. You know, Lynn, you could introduce your husband to the wonderful world of exfoliation, whereby he gets rid of dead skin cells, hair, and other detritus that blocks pores and creates zits. Unless of course, you REALLY enjoy terminating ingrown hairs. In that case, ignore my post. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-things-go-away-on-their-own-ingrown-hairs/295839/18 "2005-03-25T02:02:08Z")
I get a lot of ingrown hairs. In the face, this condition has many names, including (peri)folliculitis barbae. Lots of people get infections from ingrown hairs. Often, the hair will pop out along with a little bit of pus, and can be easily tweezed. Using a needle to get out the hair works well. Occasionally, these things can turn into very painful abcesses such as perianal abcesses which require a minor operation with a scalpel. I hate doing these operations, but often do. Dr\_Pap