What causes ingrown hair?
Ingrown hair occur when a hair curves and grows under the surface of the skin instead of growing outwards from the skin. Often, this is because the hair is blocked from surfacing by dead skin cells clogging up the follicle, meaning that it can only grow sideways. Ingrown hair are especially common with curly or coarse hair, like in the bikini area, or hair that’s just been shaved.
Ingrown hair look like small spots or pimples. Sometimes, you’ll be able to make out the line of the hair below the surface of the skin. They can be painful, itchy and collected together like a rash.