Ingrown hairs are making my life miserable...

Special Issues Razor Bumps/PFB (Pseudofolliculitis barbae)
#1

Andrea:

First let me say thank you for such a great site. I have found the posts here insightful, and helpful.

Okay, the deal is this…I have an incredible challenge with hair removal, as I have the absolute worst problem with ingrown hairs on the back of my thighs, and razor bump discolorations on my calves and thighs.

The skin on the back of my thighs literally look and feel like sandpaper. My family jokes that they haven’t seen my legs in YEARS - and unless I find a solution to this problem, they will never see them!!

From reading a number of posts, I’m seriously thinking of seeing a dermatologist about my condition, but also wanted to ask your advice.

I’ve read about TendSkin and other products like it, and I’m also considering Diane 35 (found out about that here!), as it clears skin, reduces hair growth AND is a contraceptive.

Is there anything out there that will aid in reducing/softening the ingrown hairs on the back of my thighs? What about the tiny razor bump discolorations? There are places I don’t even have hair, but I have the little spot where the hair follicale is.

Any suggestions and or advice you could give would be great.

Thanking you in advance, and thanks for such a wonderfully informative site.

hairbabe

#2

hairbabe,

I know exactly how you feel. I think I have what you have. I started shaving when I was in Jr. High and then these ingrown hair started to show up so what did I do? I plucked them and worse I used a need to pick them out. This resulted in dark bumps all over my calves. I tried waxing, epilators, shaving, they all gave me ingrown hair. I tried Tend Skin diligently and that didn’t help. I was so miserable. I never shorts or short skirts in high school or college. I finally went to see a dermatologist in Feb 2003 and she told me to try an electric shaver because it won’t cut too close. She told me to put on sun screen on my legs otherwise the spots will be darker (she said many people think that if they get a sun tan then the skin will match the color of the spots -but no…if the rest of the skin tan, then the spots will tan too and get darker!)So, basically she told me to get an electric shaver and she gave me a prescription for bleaching cream with sunscreen but warned me that it might not do anything. She said eventually if I leave them alone the spots will fade overtime. So far after 3 months, I do notice that the spots are fading a bit(I didn’t really use the bleaching cream)and my legs definitely look better. I don’t like the stubbles when I shave with an electric shaver, but hey it beats the nasty, itchy ingrown hair I get if I shave with a razor blade or waxing. Sorry my post is so long but I know how frustrating it is to not be able to go in public wearing shorts or skirts (especially for me since I live in Los Angeles). Hope this helps.

#3

hairbabe,
I also suffered with you. I am mixed and my hair is tremendously curly and so I always get ingrown hairs, razor bumps because of this. My solution is tend skin. It works wonders!

I use tend skin EVERYDAY for to keep my smoothe legs, without it I’d probably die from scratching and bleeding … it would be horrible… now I offer you a solution… keep reading

Do you have razor burn, bumps and ingrown hairs? Eliminate them with TEND SKIN!

YOU WILL SEE RESULTS IN 24 HOURS!!!

THE BEST PRODUCT ON THE MARKET! GUARANTEED SATISFACTION!!!

Personally, I cannot live without this product. If you need, I can supply you with how much of the product you need at a reduced price! Just email me at sililu@hotmail.com for more info.

I guarentee you satisfaction!

#4

I don’t really have the red bump problem but the hairs I have ALWAYS become ingrown. Ugh. So my question is… if you’re not supposed to ‘pick,’ they how ARE you supposed to get the hairs out?? I mean, you can’t leave them there forever… that would look really wierd and gross.

#5

That is what products like Tend Skin are for. They exfoliate the skin releasing the hairs. You can mix some up yourself by dissolving aspirins in alcohol. You should make sure however, that if you do this, that you only do it with a small amount, as it is almost impossible to use it all before the acid compromises the seal on the cap and the container starts to leak from the top. This is something you don’t want spilling.

#6

Hi Everyone,

I have a product that has helped many tremendously. It is the Dermagen Skin Revival System. It is a Non toxic solution which truly helps with ingrowns and Razor bumps. For more info you can visit my website at www.4dermagen.com. Hope this helps.

#7

</font><blockquote><font size=“1” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>quote:</font><hr /><font size=“2” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>Originally posted by hairbabe:
<strong>Andrea:

First let me say thank you for such a great site. I have found the posts here insightful, and helpful.

Okay, the deal is this…I have an incredible challenge with hair removal, as I have the absolute worst problem with ingrown hairs on the back of my thighs, and razor bump discolorations on my calves and thighs.

The skin on the back of my thighs literally look and feel like sandpaper. My family jokes that they haven’t seen my legs in YEARS - and unless I find a solution to this problem, they will never see them!!

From reading a number of posts, I’m seriously thinking of seeing a dermatologist about my condition, but also wanted to ask your advice.

I’ve read about TendSkin and other products like it, and I’m also considering Diane 35 (found out about that here!), as it clears skin, reduces hair growth AND is a contraceptive.

Is there anything out there that will aid in reducing/softening the ingrown hairs on the back of my thighs? What about the tiny razor bump discolorations? There are places I don’t even have hair, but I have the little spot where the hair follicale is.

Any suggestions and or advice you could give would be great.

Thanking you in advance, and thanks for such a wonderfully informative site.

hairbabe</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size=“2” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>

#8

HairBabe, I know just how you feel. I have been SUPER hairy my whole life! I have my back, neck and side burns waxed constantly, I use to use my Dads electric shaver on my face (before I moved away to school) and have terrible ingrown hairs on my thighs. I also have some scars from a bad case of Chicken Pox I got when I was 18. It has been years since I have worn shorts or a skirt and now I am at UCSD where all the girls are tan, blond and have perfect looking legs and skin which they show in little skirts. I have been to a dermatologist and thousands of dollars later they are still here! I hate it so much. Just the other week my friends wanted to go to the beach. I thought I could muster up enough courage to go but the second I put on those shorts I made up a lame excuse and sat at home and cried. I just bought some Tend Skin yesterday so maybe that will help. I am trying hard to convince myself that one cares, but I care! If I saw someone in my position I wouldn’t judge them at all, but I still feel that when people see my legs they will judge me. Now that I am in college its also hard to pay for treatments, medicine etc. If I could change anything about myself it would be my skin, all I want to is to put a cute little skirt and go out without the bumps, scars, and dark hair all over me. I have never known anyone with hair problems like mine, I am glad to know I am not the only one! I haven’t found anything that works yet, no not even my 150$ prescriptions, but if I ever do, Ill let you know! Has any one heard of PFB Vanish? Sonia

#9

hairbabe,
I also suffered with you. I am mixed and my hair is tremendously curly and so I always get ingrown hairs, razor bumps because of this. My solution is tend skin. It works wonders!

I use tend skin EVERYDAY for to keep my smoothe legs, without it I’d probably die from scratching and bleeding … it would be horrible… now I offer you a solution… keep reading

Do you have razor burn, bumps and ingrown hairs? Eliminate them with TEND SKIN!

YOU WILL SEE RESULTS IN 24 HOURS!!!

THE BEST PRODUCT ON THE MARKET! GUARANTEED SATISFACTION!!!

Personally, I cannot live without this product. If you need, I can supply you with how much of the product you need at a reduced price! Just email me at sililu@hotmail.com for more info.

I guarentee you satisfaction!

—Umm, would anyone trust somebody who works for the company and is clearly making a profit out of it?

#10

i have the same problem as hairbabe. for hair removal for my legs, i have pretty much shaved all my life, with the exception of a few waxes at the salon–and one way or another, i, too, can’t seem to get rid of this awful line of ingrowns along the sides of my calves. during my most recent wax, the esthetician pointed out that these were impossible to pull out by hot wax, and that i should use an exfoliating stone, sponge or brush to scrub away the outer skin of that area, and then tweeze out the ingrowns. i understand that this is similar to how the product Tend Skin works, by dissolving the unsightly layer of skin/hair.

my worry/question of these methods is, won’t either of them leave huge patches of scarred skin on my leg, discolored from the “older” skin surrounding them? also, isn’t Tend Skin basically an acid, and won’t it hurt like hell upon application?

i am seriously asking these questions because i am sick of feeling self-conscious in shorts/skirts and would love to rid myself of these ingrowns…i just don’t want to have patches of melted/acidified skin on my legs!!

~h

#11

I’m sure that others with more experience will chime in, but I’ve had no problems using Tend Skin for the last month or so, and I definitely have sensitive skin.

It can sting when you put it on, especially if the area is damp or wet, but it only lasts a second or so. If the area is dry, there might be a slight sting due to the alcohol in it.

#12

Thanks, Soph!

On another note, do you (or anyone else reading this)have any idea where I could buy it? I know there are a number of places online, but I was wondering if any major stores sold it, so that perhaps I could just as easily run down the street without having to deal with shipping charges?

Thanks,

hkmirza

#13

Hmm, I’m afraid I can’t help you there. I don’t think I’ve seen it in any stores, and the only places I’ve bought it are the place where I had my body waxing done and a place online.

Maybe someone else can reply on this more definitively.

#14

Tend Skin is not yet at a Mega-Lo Mart near you. Currently, the only place you can walk to and buy some would be a local beautician, electrologist, or other aesthetic associate. Of course, there is always mail order.

#15

james, you said that we could mix up something similar to tend skin ourself with alcohol and aspirin. this would be really great for me beacuse i don’t really have much money to be spending on this kind of stuff so if i could do it myself it would be really helpful. i was just wondering what the ratio of aspirin to alcohol i should use, would i shake it up or does it not matter, and wanted to make sure it was rubbing alcohol you were talking about.
thanks

#16

Here is the link that discusses home mix Tend Skin. Mantaray posts the best information on the subject.

http://www.hairtell.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/4241/page//fpart/1/vc/1

Yes, we are talking about rubbing alcohol, NOT whiskey.

#17

HELLO, I ALSO HAD A PROBLEM WITH INGROWN HAIRS A FEW YEARS AGO UNTIL I STARTED TO BODY BRUSH. I BRUSH MY BODY IN THE MORNING AND EVENING STARTING AT THE FEET AND FINGERS AND ALWAYS WORKING TOWARDS THE HEART , IT IS A BIT UNCOMFORTABLE AT FIRST BUT YOU WILL GET USED TO IT . I HAVE NOW GOT NO INGROWN HAIRS AND FIRMER AND HEALTHIER LOOKING SKIN.
I HOPE THIS HELPS LULU.

#18

Thank you for this website. I thought I was the only one with the problem. Can I ask what is a body brush? Is that the same as an exfoliating mitt?

I have been using PFB Vanish for a week now, and so far, it does not seem to be working, only one ingrown hair has been resolved, the rest are still there. Has anyone used PFB Vanish? How does it compare with Tend Skin? I’ve had ingrown hairs for a few years now, and I am getting very fed up with it, I don’t know what else to do. I have tried the exfoliating mitt with Aveda’s body polish, but it did not work.

Any suggestion will help. THanks.

#19

Yeah but whiskey is a lot more fun James!

#20

if your talking about tend skin, sephora carries it, that’s where i got mine, but it didn’t work <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />