10 Ways to Deal With an Ingrown Chin Hair, According to Derms

Keep Skin Clean

To prevent ingrown chin hair, it never hurts to wash your face daily with a cleanser that removes anything that could be clogging your follicles.

Look for a cleanser without fragrance and one that's formulated for sensitive skin to ensure that it doesn't cause further irritation. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is a classic choice.

However, this step alone won't keep ingrown chin hair away. "Keeping the face clean doesn’t prevent ingrown hairs because ingrown hairs aren’t caused by dirty skin," Ostad emphasizes. With that, it's time for step 2.

Exfoliate

"Exfoliate the surface of the skin so the hair follicle can come out of its pore without interruption," says dermatologist and dermopathologist Jordan C. Carqueville. There are several ways to exfoliate.

• "For those prone to ingrown hairs, an alpha hydroxy acid cleanser or salicylic acid exfoliates the follicle so the hair does not get stuck," Ostad says.
• You can also use an exfoliating cream or treatment that contains glycolic acid. This ingredient fights bacteria and helps remove dead skin.
• "There's such a wide variety of exfoliating products," Carqueville says. "I tend to just tell people to use witch hazel or a light astringent with a little acid."

Moisturize

Ingrown hairs develop more easily on dry, clogged skin. "Moisturizing the skin helps prevent keratinocytes or the hair follicle from having that sticky substance," Ostad says. "Moisturizing helps loosen the dead skin, making it easier to avoid the hair follicle getting clogged."

Don't Pick

Some people want to pick the ingrown area, in the hope that they can remove the hair themselves. Though we've all been there, Carqueville says that picking is a bad idea.

"Don’t pick at it and try and get it out yourself," she says. "We don't recommend people do that at home because it's breaking into the skin, which can lead to scarring and infections."

Don't Pop

And before you ask about popping, listen up: "Popping the area is not recommended as it may cause an infection or scarring," says Karavolas.

Don't Pluck

"Ingrown chin hairs should not be plucked," Ostad says. "Doing this increases the chances of more ingrown hairs. It can clog the follicle and cause inflammation, which is not an infection but can make the areas inflamed." 

Tweeze

Removing your hair properly, AKA tweezing it, is the first step towards preventing ingrowns.

Use a good-quality pair of tweezers that won't slide off or break hair unnecessarily. If you break the hair, it sharpens the end (typically at a slant), increasing the chances of it becoming ingrown as it pierces the skin more easily. Luckily, tweezers don't have to break the bank to do their job. Tweezerman Slant Tweezers are almost everyone's top pick, for good reason.

Get Laser Hair Removal

"The best way of removing an ingrown would be with a laser," says Karavolas. "It would target the ingrown without damaging the surrounding area and remove [the hair] without causing scarring or pigmentation."

Just Give it Time

Time heals everything—including most ingrown chin hair. "You can also let the hair fix itself," suggests Karavolis. "It will eventually lift over time, without having to use tools." However, if that ingrown chin hair stubbornly persists, it may be time to consider step 10.

See a Doctor

Most of the time ingrown hairs clear up on their own, but if they become red and sore, they could be infected and need attention from a medical professional.

First, try a steroid or antibiotic ointment. If the infection doesn't begin to improve in a few days, you should see your doctor, who can release the ingrown hair with a small cut.

"If you have a stubborn ingrown hair, I would recommend seeing your dermatologist," says Carqueville. "What we do is clean off the area and then use a sharp tool to specifically open or puncture the area and express the follicle with its contents."

The doctor might also prescribe a prescription-strength steroid or antibiotic ointment, retinoids, or an oral antibiotic, depending on the severity of the infection.