How do hair bumps form

For severe razor bumps, you may need a special skin cream, such as hydrocortisone, antibiotic, or tretinoin cream. Hair removal products called depilatories do not cause razor bumps. But they can irritate the skin and should be used only once or twice a week. Roh MD - Dermatology. Author: Healthwise Staff. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use.

Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Updated visitor guidelines. You are here Home » Razor Bumps. Top of the page. Topic Overview What are razor bumps? Ingrown hairs are easy to treat.

If an ingrown hair becomes infected, you can easily treat it using topical antiseptic, antibiotic or antiviral medication, depending on the type of infection. Herpes, on the other hand, requires a more thorough approach to treatment.

Because herpes is a lifelong infection, you may also need to take suppressive antiviral drugs such as valacyclovir over the long term to control subsequent outbreaks and lower your risk of infecting others. Herpes is a very common virus , with the HSV-1 variant of the herpes virus affecting more than 50 percent of the global population under the age of 50, and the less common HSV-2 variant affecting around 11 percent of people ages 15 to forty-nine.

Modern, safe and affordable medications such as valacyclovir can reduce the severity of oral and genital herpes outbreaks and speed up healing time, all while lowering your risk of spreading the virus to other people. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.

Insider tips, early access and more. Top Treatments. Top Conditions Erectile Dysfunction. Sex Skin. Herpes or Ingrown Hair? How to Tell The Difference.

Well, luckily, telling the difference is pretty simple if you know what to look for. How Ingrown Hairs Develop Ingrown hairs develop when hair grows crooked or curls inside the skin before breaching the top-most layer of our skin the epidermis. Shop Herpes Treatment. Email address. View our privacy policy. Page last reviewed: 07 August Next review due: 07 August Ingrown hairs. Check if you have ingrown hair Credit:. Do wet your skin with warm water and use shaving gel shave in the direction the hairs are growing use as few strokes of the razor as possible rinse the razor after every stroke hold a cool, wet cloth to your skin after shaving to reduce irritation use an exfoliating scrub to help release any trapped hairs try a different hair removal method, such as hair removal cream try a long-term way of removing hair, such as laser treatment.