Hey all.
I used to be on these boards way back in the day, but gave up as my acne subsided/ I tried to move past this whole thinking about it constantly thing 
But the acne is back with a vengeance. I'm on a Retin-A .1/ Duac/ Doxycyline regime, which I've basically been on for 3-4 years. I was on Differin until this January, then decided to give the Retin-A another go...
Anyway...
I've been having a lot of problems with ingrown facial hairs. Most of my worst inflamed spots and scars come from these bad boys. I try not to shave too close to the skin, use a basic razor, but they still happen. They get so inflamed I have to dig em out. Any suggestions?
I dont know if its related, but I have a ton of small white zits all over my face. I'd call them whiteheads, but they remain below the surface, deeper. They seem permanent, will sometimes become inflamed and papule-like. Could these be related to ingrown hair issue?
I'm 22 and have had facial hair for a long time. My mustache and chin areas are very full, but my checks have much less coverage. They arent spotty (with hairs) really, just there are much less dark hairs to area than the mustache and chin area. Its been like this for about 4 years. I wonder if anyone has experience? Is this all related
Thanks!
I'm in the same boat. I use Nivea for Men Sensitive shave gel, face wash and scrub. I put Neutrogena On the Spot acne treatment on twice daily and Differin at night. Neutrogena for Men makes equally effective products. I take a twenty minute shower before I shave to prepare the skin. Not too hot. I wash my face with cold water after shaving.
I'm not sure about the white bumps under the skin.
I get ingrown hairs from shaving to that turn into cysts from the ingrown hairs.what type of razor are you using?what brand and is it 3 razors in 1 or 5 razors in one or whatever?I get whiteheads to kinda near where I shave.try a hot compress for 5 minutes a few times a day to loosen the hairs out.
Have any of you tried Head and Shoulders on your face? I have been reading about this lately and I also have a problem with (what appears to be) acne around my beard area. I think it may be folliculitis. Anyway i've been washing with head and shoulders intensive care for 2 days now. I know this may seem pretty harsh, but so far it's been good. I imagine if I continue this twice a day i'd get pretty dry so i'm going to mellow out after today, but I have noticed an improvement.
Interesting... never heard of using of Head and Shoulders on one's face. Keep me posted!
I used Neutrogena skin clearing shave cream, but I think i'll try Nivea.
I used a two blade razor, the crappy look Good News. The best advice I've gotten from derms is to use a 1-2 razor blade and not shave too close.
dont use head and shoulders it contains good ingredients, but also bad ones for your skin.
I am in the same boat as you guys i get those ingrown hairs/cysts frequently.
Not on my face anymore, but on my neck.
Trust me, the products on this site are the only thing that causes my skin to clear completely.
I started the face regimen in feb of this year and got excellent results, and about april i started using it on my neck and my neck looks good too, It uses benzoyl peroxide and aha lotion.
Try researching it. I urge all to do it, being that Ive not had clear skin for years, it worked great, not had any problems for a few months.
I feel your pain.. it's like my hair hates me.
Whats worked for me is
1) using a single or double blade razor, not pressing down too hard, and only using one pass.
2) chemical exfoliation with salicylic acid.. more for acne than ingrown hairs.
3) chemical exfoliation with glycolic acid - kicks ingrown hair ass
4) disinfection and keratolysis with benzoyl peroxide - kicks acne ass, helps with exfoliation too
Most of your lesions are probably just "razor bumps" - the hair is piercing the skin or trapped in the follicle, causing the body to mount an immune response. The resultant inflammation and fluid buildup is what you see.
It's likely that some of your razor bumps are infected, with either normal skin bacteria, or with a fungus (Malassezia). Theoretically using an antibacterial or antibacterial could therefore help... which is the logic behind using Nizoral (antifungal) or Tea Tree Oil (antifungal and antibacterial).
But unless you're using it for spot treatment, antimicrobials are probably overkill. Exfoliate well and you should be clear.
