Ingrown hair issues driving me crazy.

I am African American and I have trouble with ingrown hairs. But specifically, I have a 2 inch spot on the side of my face in the beard area from the cheek to the lower edge of the jawbone that suffers from ingrown hairs. the area is somewhat scared now and a most hairs do not even make it to the surface. It get a little raw at times because I have the urge to pluck the hairs with twezzers and a sterilized needle. The spot is basically bald so it is very unattractive especially when the beard grows out and is a dark spot on the skin when shaven. Can this be treated so it can heal and restore to normal, or am I stuck with this perpetually. If so, how would I go about treating this condition? Thanks.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

Ingrown hair most commonly appears in areas where the skin is shaved.  The embedded hair causes a localized inflammation  response in the skin with prostanoid involvement. Although sometimes, ingrown hair may occur naturally without shaving.Treatments for ingrown hairs include putting a warm washcloth over the ingrown hair, shaving in a different direction, exfoliating with facial scrubs, sponges, towels, or creams containing acids, and ibuprofen. Ingrown hair will often fall out after a couple of weeks. If it persists or becomes infected, it would be best to have this evaluated further by your doctor for proper management.  

Take care and keep us posted.