Ingrown hair can often occur after a shaving or hair removal treatment. The hair will be covered by a thin layer of skin cells and may accumulate sebum or other bacteria, which can lead to additional problems. Ingrown hair can be removed by extracting the hairs from the follicles, and this procedure may be assisted by rubbing alcohol.
Rubbing Alcohol for Ingrown Hair
Rubbing alcohol per se is not a solution to remove the ingrown hair, but it is a solution that may help and is used when extracting the hairs from the follicles.
The ingrown hairs can be extracted using a pair of tweezers or a needle. These should be disinfected using alcohol or hydroxide peroxide. The ingrown hairs are lifted from the skin and then they can be extracted using the tweezers. To prevent a skin infection, the area can be treated with rubbing alcohol prior and after removing the hair.
Advantages of Rubbing Alcohol
The rubbing alcohol disinfects the skin and the tweezers or needles used to help bring the ingrown hairs to the surface. The alcohol will also soften the skin, so it will be easier to reach the ingrown hair without causing wounds on the skin.
Disadvantages of Rubbing Alcohol
Using rubbing alcohol for ingrown hair may dry the skin, as it will remove the essential skin oils. If the skin is irritated when applying the rubbing alcohol, this may facilitate the occurrence of ingrown hairs.
There are alternatives to using rubbing alcohol, including hydroxide peroxide or St. John's wort ointments.
