Ingrown Hair on the Penis or Pubic Area: What Actually Works

An ingrown hair in the private area can be excruciating. Women and men both get them, and they are too embarrassed to ask anyone. So they shave, wax, squeeze, and it gets worse.

Watch: bikini and pubic area care

For women: the bikini and genital area

The hair is curly and grows back into the skin instead of out. The body treats it like a splinter. You get a red, painful bump, sometimes a cyst, and in dark skin it leaves a dark mark that stays long after.

For men: the pubic area and the penis

This is something men almost never talk about, and it is more common than you think. It starts at the pubic area, where the hair is thick and curly. A man shaves or trims, and the cut hair grows back sharp and bends into the skin instead of coming out. Now there is a bump at the base.

Then it gets worse. The ingrown hairs do not stay at the pubic area. They can grow on to the skin of the penile shaft, and the hair grows back into the shaft. The skin there is thin and delicate, so every ingrown hair is very painful. It becomes red, swollen and tender, and it can fill with pus. Sitting, walking, wearing underwear, and sex all hurt. Many men keep squeezing and picking, and that makes it worse and leaves scars and dark marks.

If there is spreading redness, fever, a lot of pus or severe swelling, see a doctor.

Watch: ingrown hairs on men

What not to do

Do not squeeze it and do not keep shaving over it. Do not wax or thread. Pulling the hair out makes the skin angry, and angry skin makes dark marks.

The real solution

Laser is the only thing that fixes it for good. When the hair stops growing, it cannot grow in. Start early, when the problem is still at the first stage, before the skin is scarred and dark. And laser is not as painful as people fear. It is much easier than living with the ingrown hairs. I use only the right laser for dark skin, the Nd:YAG.

This is what I have learned in 40 years of treating women and men. It is my experience, not a replacement for your doctor. If you are worried, go and be seen.

Questions? Call or text Eva: 305-864-3333 (Newnan GA and Miami FL).
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