Yes, I know. I really shouldn’t, it just makes everything worse…but one little bump of an ingrown hair will catch my eye, and an hour later I’m covered in scabs. As if it wasn’t bad enough that I’m way too hairy, I have little scars all over my legs too. I’ve tried Tendskin, I’ve been to 2 dermatologists and both gave me the same topical antibiotic - one with a “why are you bothering me with this?” attitude. No matter what I do I get ingrown hairs and I just can’t leave them alone. No one has seen more that a few inches above my ankles except doctors and aestheticians in years.
I had 5 laser treatments of my bikini area, with very good results since I have fishbelly white skin and dark brown hair, but my doctor won’t treat me any further until I get the picking under control. It doesn’t help that I know I’ve probab;y already scarred myself for life, to say nothing of the fact that I can’t imaging every dating anyone again if this doesn’t stop. This has been going on for years and I just don’t know what to do.
Please tell me at least there’s someone else out there who has this problem too.
I have the same picking problem. Those ingrown hairs are begging to be squeezed. My legs are dotted with scars too. Actually, I pick the skin on every body part I am able to reach (no exaggeration). The cause of the problem in my case is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Try going to the OC Foundation site at www.ocfoundation.org to see if you have any other symptoms. More appropriate would be to have a psychiatrist give you a test. (Specialists are better than a general doctor, in my opinion.)
About the scarring: in my years of research (picking my body) it seems that the legs take the longest to heal, but the scars do fade eventually, provided you keep your pinchers off.
If you are diagnosed with OCD, there is great hope to get it under control with either behavioral therapy or medication or both. Watch for the newsmagazines or talk shows to talk on the subject; some of the sufferers make amazing recoverys with help.
I also have this problem! I despise the horrid unwanted hairs that I have and I just want them out out out… so I have scars too. I’m glad to hear from the previous post that the scars do eventually heal. Come to think of it, I guess I have found that to be true, although recently I have been completely wrapped up in the new scars that I so often acquire. If anyone knows… is there anything that would help the scars? Or anything that you could put on ingrown hairs to get them out some other way??
HMM. I’ve known for years that my father has a hoarding problem, so it seems that maybe I got more bad genes than just hairiness from him. I’ve been so busy watching myself for junk buildup in the closets that it never occurred to me that the picking was the same kind of obsessive behavior.
Thanks so much for the link, and the good news about scars. I’ve actually been to a psychiatrist recently for depression related issues, so I will definitely bring this up next time. I’d been thinking about talking about it, but honestly, I’m more embarassed by the picking than anything else we could discuss.
If you have unsightly scars, just go get Mederma:
I had a very bad 2 inch scar on my face from a router bit accident. A plastic surgeon gave me a bottle. It removed the pinkness and everything.
My best friend is using on her breasts. She had surgery on them recently for some cystes she had. I can tell you the scars are looking much better after only 3 weeks.
Mederma is an excellent product, and it can be purchased over the counter, or by mailorder if your local pharmacy doesn’t carry it. You might be interested to know that the active ingredient in Mederma is onion juice 
I suppose one could use plain old onion juice if one lived alone, and only put it on at night 
If you have a sleeping partner however, that person will appreciate you using the over the counter stuff.
Hello,
I wanted to respond about picking ingrown hairs because I do the same thing! I will not mess with my legs for a couple of months and get better and then go after them again and end up with scabs, and they take forever to go away. For some reason it is so irresistable. I will try Mederma because I think that my actively treating the previous scars will make it less likely for me to want to pick. anyway, thanks for your comments, i didnt know anyone else did this.
i want to just start by saying how much of a god send this site is. I am 20 and pale skinned with very dark thick hair on my legs, underarms and bikini line. I’ve always found shaving a waste of time as the hair is still so visible underneath the skin, and it gives me awful bumps and rashes. About two years ago i started waxing but instead of leaving me with the blemish free smooth skin i had hoped for, it has simply made matters ten times worse. i am infested with ingrown hairs. they are the bain of my life. Like you guys i pick and squeeze them obsessively, and my legs eapecially are covered in lumps, scars and scabs. I’ve tried tend skin but it didn’t work at all. It seems the more money and effort i put into this the worse it gets. Its now coming up to summer holidays here in the uk and im dreading the bikini issue. Its really distressing me but the more i think about it the more i attack my legs with tweezers. Whenever a girl with smooth perfect legs walks past i glare green with envy. I am really happy with my body in general and feel like im ruining it with this obsession. Im a student so i cant afford electro or laser. I have thought about going to the doctors but im scared they will be unsympathetic. I couldnt bare that, im already so embarassed about it. It would be so great to hear someone elses take on all this. Im just so fed up with it all.
I know exactly how you guys feel, and im sure there are many others out there who are the same.
I have the same problem with ingrown hairs and i think its because of all the different products i have tried on my legs. I have gone from shaving, creams, pulling machines (i know- ouch!!)and now im waxing, because it doesnt leave a shadow from the hair behind … (Its still painfull but its the better one of the lot for me)
I find that if i look at my legs at all, i will get the tweezers out immediately!! I try and ignore it as much as possible, especially now that the summer is coming!! (And you think to yourself… oh my god, im a hairy, scaby monster… i cant go out like this!! ) ;o)
And when there are others around you that have hair free legs around you it just makes you depressed, because you can not get the same the results they can!!
lol
Cat
p,s Thank you so much for this site…;o)… xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx