Ingrowns Post Treatment, Dark Spots & Moving Forwa

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

There are quite a few old threads here that touch on this so I wanted to share my experience for anyone out there desperately searching for answers like I have been.

I posted about small dark spots all over my treated thigh that have not faded at all in 9 months or so. Initially it was considered to be good 'ole PIH that fades in time. But something was off to me. I’d had around 10 sessions last year. The amount of dots increased every time.

In the last week or so I have discovered that these are tiny, wispy hairs that are trapped under the skin and result in little brown spots. I am black with light brown skin so my spots are a darker brown.

I contacted my former electrologist and she suggested I try a very very gentle exfoliation routine a few times a week. After just two I can now see the hairs beginning to pop out. These can now be treated leading to hopefully no more brown spots. They are clustered so close to one another that some areas look blotchy. But I see areas that are completely hairless, smooth, and PIH free also. This gives me hope.

What caused this? Well I believe it’s partially just the way my skin reacts. Though I do not get ingrowns after shaving my beard. Also I have never plucked, tweezed or anything on my body hair. I believe that because I have kinky textured hair after a session any regrowth in or near the treated follicles grows back in an even tighter corkscrew that gets trapped under my skin resulting in those brown spots. Some of which are flat and feel smooth btw.

I think that continuing treatment to zap these babies will result in my being free and clear with not much PIH. I will add to this as I progress because I know there are people out there with this same struggle.

My advice is to look at your skin very closely with a magnifying glass even and see if there are tiny baby hairs under those spots. If so, EXFOLIATE! I am going to try a product called Tend Skin also. It helps unearth those hairs.

Any thoughts from the pros around here?

#2

Are you familiar with “Strawberry legs” ? DO these hair follicles have a sebum plug?

Seana

#3

Yes, strawberry legs are what I seem to have. Not sure about the sebum plug. Or how to spot one.

#4

Okay let me tell you what I’m getting at.

I have a client that might have a similar condition, who I’ve been treating for about a year now. A client who has had previous laser on her thighs, she’s a mid 50’s female. When I began treating her she was pretty advanced into this condition.The area on her upper thighs had many brown/black spots that looked like plucked chicken skin. Inspection of the area reveals the follicles are filled with a white/yellow/black (depending on air exposure and age)substance that can be squeezed out, like puss from a zit. In a great number of these follicles post extraction of the plug of white gooey substance many of the follicles reveal an ingrown hair.But not all. The condition is caused by overactive sebacious glands which fill the follicle with sebum, a naturally occurring lubricant. Sebum contains iron from blood and when it collects in the follicle it can turn brown or black at the surface seeming like pigment. It’s actually just the “goop” that people with this condition overproduce. Thankfully the solution is to extract the goop on each follicle, treat a hair if present with electrolysis and dsiable the sebacious gland in the process. I’ve still got a way to go, but I’ve made some real progress over the last year clearing up a ton of these things.

Seana

#5

Oh that’s promising! I have overactive sebaceous glands as I struggle with acne and sebboreic dermatitis on my scalp. But the follicles seem to be dry. I’m assuming that the progress you are making includes a clear area of skin?

#6

progressively yes. This person had it over a very large area and I only got to do a few minutes each session but there has regardless been marked improvement. We just have to keep going . :slight_smile: