Ingrown hairs on face

Hi i have been shaving for atleast 9 years now allways with a razor but i allways seem to get ingrown hairs on my face only on my cheeks. The hair is that tiny that is doesnt come through the skin and just creates a big red welt type lump and this occurs regularly. Once the welt get a whits head on it i slightly squeeze a hair out and the welt dissapears but the hair is that tiny u can barely see it. My question is, has anyone heard of this happening and is there away to stop it somehow? im not sure how to ive tried microdermabrasion and many other things to no prevail.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
What you are having is ingrown hair and folliculitis. Folliculitis starts when hair follicles are damaged by friction from clothing or blockage of the follicle. In most cases of folliculitis, the damaged follicles are then infected with the bacteria Staphylococcus (staph).

Please keep the area clean and apply some topical antiseptics. Also wear loose-fitting cotton clothing and use an antibacterial soap or mild soap like dove. Avoid any kind of cosmetics. Topical antibiotics such as mupirocin or neomycin containing ointment are also useful. In case the symptoms persist then oral antibiotics may be needed. Also shave in the direction of hair growth and apply ice(wrapped in a towel) and some calamine lotion on the skin which helps in soothing.
Hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing. Warm regards.