Name for and method to remove hairs stuck in follicle (not ingrown)?
August 11, 2016 8:05 PM Subscribe
First off, these are not ingrown. They are very short hairs which protrude, normally, from the skin. They are no longer attached at their base yet they remain in the follicle. Sometimes they cause irritation in the skin around the follicle. The gentlest tug will remove them but they are short and difficult to see or grip.
What are these called? What's a good way to remove them?
What are these called? What's a good way to remove them?
Tweezerman tweezers and a lighted magnifying glass. I mean, it's extreme, but it works. It's my go-to for those teeny glass slivers you step on and can't see to remove.
posted by MexicanYenta at 9:26 PM on August 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by MexicanYenta at 9:26 PM on August 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
Are you quite sure they're hairs and not sebaceous filaments?
posted by praemunire at 9:42 PM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 9:42 PM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Keratosis Pilaris is a skin condition that causes rough bumpy skin. I have struggled all my life with it. I have noticed that there are hairs in the bumps similar to what you describe.
From what I have read about the condition it is thought that the skin is over producing replacement cells in those areas. Maybe the little hairs are caused by the same process.
What has worked for me is using a paste made of a little water and plain baking soda. Apply it over the affected areas. Leave it on for 3 - 5 minutes then wash off with a terry cloth washcloth.
I think it works by softening the older drier excess skin cells that have built up around the follicles. I used a lot of baking soda, but it is cheap.
Don't do this daily, I think 3-4 days apart for the first 2 weeks then once a week after that.
I have had very good results from using the baking soda. It's a mild abrasive and also has a higher ph that acts on the proteins in the skin. You just want to remove the excess dried out overgrowth, not macerate the normal skin.
Moisturizing is important too, but I found it didn't work all that well until I gave exfoliation a head start with the baking soda scrub. Don't put anything extra like oils or scents in it. And avoid scrubbing too hard until you know how your skin is going to react
posted by moonlily at 10:14 PM on August 11, 2016 [6 favorites]
From what I have read about the condition it is thought that the skin is over producing replacement cells in those areas. Maybe the little hairs are caused by the same process.
What has worked for me is using a paste made of a little water and plain baking soda. Apply it over the affected areas. Leave it on for 3 - 5 minutes then wash off with a terry cloth washcloth.
I think it works by softening the older drier excess skin cells that have built up around the follicles. I used a lot of baking soda, but it is cheap.
Don't do this daily, I think 3-4 days apart for the first 2 weeks then once a week after that.
I have had very good results from using the baking soda. It's a mild abrasive and also has a higher ph that acts on the proteins in the skin. You just want to remove the excess dried out overgrowth, not macerate the normal skin.
Moisturizing is important too, but I found it didn't work all that well until I gave exfoliation a head start with the baking soda scrub. Don't put anything extra like oils or scents in it. And avoid scrubbing too hard until you know how your skin is going to react
posted by moonlily at 10:14 PM on August 11, 2016 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: They're almost certainly hairs. Sometimes they are in the same follicle as a still-attached hair. They're just sitting there, short, ever so delicately irritating the area.
posted by cman at 2:29 PM on August 13, 2016
posted by cman at 2:29 PM on August 13, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by teremala at 8:10 PM on August 11, 2016