# What's the name for this skin disorder?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-for-this-skin-disorder/202245>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 17, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-for-this-skin-disorder/202245 "2003-09-17T23:08:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![BrianS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c6cbf5/32.png) [@BrianS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrianS)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-for-this-skin-disorder/202245/1 "2003-09-17T23:08:59Z")

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Rather than white puss-filled acne (yum!), I have a skin disorder that creates firm little blackhead-type things.

Every single one of them has a very fine hair all wound up inside of it.

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-for-this-skin-disorder/202245/2 "2003-09-17T23:14:57Z")

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Ingrown hair? Sounds like that to me. I don’t know if there’s a fancy medical terrm for it.

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**Author:** ![Peg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Peg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peg)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-for-this-skin-disorder/202245/3 "2003-09-17T23:20:42Z")

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I was thinking the same as QED.

"Ideally, hairs are cut off level with the surface of the skin during shaving. In people with a tendency towards razor bumps and ingrown hair, the hairs are often cut too short.

The hair which has been cut below the skin level begins to grow through surrounding tissue rather than out of the follicle.

In other cases, hair curls round and starts growing back into the skin causing irritation and inflammation."

From this site: [http://www.about-hair-removal.com/ingrownhairtips.htm](http://www.about-hair-removal.com/ingrownhairtips.htm)

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**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-for-this-skin-disorder/202245/4 "2003-09-18T22:57:04Z")

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It also could be keratosi pilaris. I have it on my upper arms and thighs, though the bumps don’t look like blackheads. And if I squeeze them (not recommended), I sometimes find curled up, long hairs.