Ingrows and black spots

Ok … really need your help on this one.

I have this ingrows and black spots caused by ingrows all over my legs.

I need a very good product to take care of this since i gave up exfoliation because is not working with me. I heard Tend Skin is good however is very expensive. I was wondering if any of you know another product less expensive.

Also, if some of you tried Tend Skin just let me know how it worked.

Thanks a lot <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Cheap Home Made Tend Skin Mix

Hello Ticia,

Have you started electrology treatments on your legs? It might be good to know why you are having ingrown hairs and the black spots. The ingrown hairs should NOT be the result you see when you have electrology, but it can happen with waxing and tweezing.

Ingrown hairs are caused by the hair being broken off under the skin, and then not coming back out through the follicle opening. It either enters the skin or something blocks it from coming out of the follicle. The hair is broken off when waxed or tweezed, or from electrology treatments that are not quite done right - either the insertions were not deep enough or not enough current was applied, then the electrologist just pulled the hair out.

The black spots are remnants of the hair structure, but not part of the hair shaft. At the very bottom of the hair shaft and the hair follicle is the papilla. This is usually black and can separate from the hair shaft upon removal. Nothing should be done to get these out - they will slough out on their own. There are different opinions as to whether or not they are the result of poorly given electrology treatments.

Just in case I totally misunderstood, and you are simply looking for a way to diminish ingrown hairs, exfoliate with a washable scubber of some sort. Natural loofahs are NOT good, as they can hold bacteria and result in a staph infection. There are nylon skin scrubbers that can be washed. There are brushes for the skin that can be used wet or dry. There are glycolic products that help exfoliate. If you are only shaving it might be that you are shaving too often.

Barbara, I’m glad you brought that up and I’m sorry to intrude on this thread. I’m a DIY’er and I’ve noticed that when I remove the hair, the hair will slide out, but sometimes the sheath and bulb get "scraped off"and lay there by the follicle opening. I try to wipe it off, but I’ll notice black dots later. What I’m I doing wrong? Thank you!

Hi Rosie,

Sometimes the root sheath will stick to the skin and turn wrong side out - this is much like taking your sock of quickly and it turns wrong side out. You might not be able to “wipe” that sheath off, but can pluck (did I use that bad word?) it off of the skin with your forceps. Those are probably not the follicles that you see the black spots in later.

One of the educators that I read extensively believes that the black spots are the result of tweezed (not properly treated) hairs. She included the appearance of these spots as an indication of tweezing within the last 11 weeks. Why 11 weeks? I have no idea! Perhaps she is right on the money about the tweezing part, for I have noticed that my new clients can have these spots for a couple of months, then after being compliant with my “no tweezing” policy the spots stop showing up.

Thanks Barbara! I admit that I’ve been “wiping” off the sheaths with my tweezers. The “black dots” are kind of hard to explain. I should exfoliate to remove them, but I picked at a few and it was literally a black dot that was just under the skin surface. I’m still thinking it’s the bulb that got yanked off the hair on the way out. It’s hard to explain what I’m seeing.

It is the melanin in the hair sometime it breaks down in the process. Dark hair is easier to see. Don’t pick at yourself be gentle.