Here is an Ask The Expert Question:
I am a woman of color who suffers from ingrown hairs on the chin and under neck areas of my face as a result I tend to tweeze a lot and I get a lot of dark marks so what could i do to alleviate this problem.
Answer:
Read the following carefully and consider changing your hair removal method. You must address the cause of the bumping before you can successfully lighten the discoloration. Apply the Imperial Touch Bump Solution to the affected area once or twice a day after cleansing. Rub in well and allow it to dry. Then, follow with a 1% cortisone cream. This should slow down the bumping up process. You will also need a good skin brightener to slow down the over production of melanin in those areas and a full spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen that you wear on a daily basis to protect your skin tone.
Change your hair removal method. Tweezing and waxing trap recently removed hairs deep below the skin line, setting them up to become trapped again and again as they re-grow. Trapped ingrowns cause prolonged inflammation, bumps covered with dead skin cells, soreness, itching and a darkening if the inflamed bumps and surrounding skin. Tweezed areas become "hot spots" of chronic problems.
One method is to shave with a new single-edge blade in the direction of hair growth. Do not repeatedly go over the same area in a back and forth motion in an effort to get a closer shave. If the preferred shaving method involves an electric razor, try a traditional barber’s trimmer, called a T-edger or liner, which gives a closer, more precise shave that larger clippers. Avoid rotary shavers that cut beard hair at different angles, seriously compounding the problem. The skin should never be stretched to obtain a closer shave. When the skin bounces back, newly shaved hair will be situated, and later trapped, below the skin line. The same principal applies to twin, triple and five-blade razors; the first blade stretches the skin, while the second (third, fourth and fifth) blade shave way too close.
Depilatory creams and shaving powders should be discouraged since they cause chemical irritation that can lead to dark hyperpigmentation of the lower face and neck, sometimes called "shadowing".
Blend Method Electrolysis: Those with chronic "trouble spots" (often on the neck, chin or cheeks, usually where tweezing was performed repeatedly) might want to explore the "blend method" of electrolysis for their problem areas. The electrologist should be skilled and experienced in the treatment of black, bump-prone clients with curved, often scarred, hair follicles. The curved follicle, healing process, risk of scarring and hyperpigmentation, as well as inflammatory reaction to the temporary "trauma" of electrolysis can differ radically from other races.
Laser hair removal has become increasingly popular in recent years to gradually and permanently reduce hair on the face and body. It is important that candidates do their homework to steer clear of the risks related to lasers, especially scarring and pigmentation on darker skin tones. Unfortunately, lasers can't "see" gray, white or blond hair.
Laser practitioners should:
(a) Use the most appropriate laser (Cool Glide) for your ethnic skin type
(b) Be very well-trained in the use of that laser
(c) Disclose what that laser can and cannot do for you
(d) Be very experienced working with your ethnic skin type
(e) Be well-versed in pre-laser pain management, the importance of inflammation reduction, melanin suppression (to control discoloration), sun protection/avoidance, and be able to treat your post-laser skin.
© 2007 Kathryn Leverette, Urban Skin Solutions, Oakland, California
