In the quest to remove body hair, people have tried razors, creams, lasers and a host of other methods designed to leave your skin smooth and hair-free. Removing the hair at the surface, as with a razor, can be effective, but the resorts don't last long. Removing the hair beneath the surface of the skin, as with an epilator, lasts longer, but can also increase your chance of developing red, itchy bumps known as razor bumps or shaving bumps.
Epilator
The epilator uses a metal coil to grab the hair and pull it out by the roots. The process can be quite effective, but also painful. Some models of epilators apply a numbing lotion to the skin as the epilator head moves over the surface. This can ease the pain, or you can use a commercial numbing lotion or spray. For best results when using an epilator, hold the skin taut, to allow for the most contact with the hair. Your hair should be 1/8 in. long or longer, in order for the epilotor to have something to grab on to.
Shaving Bumps
Shaving bumps after using an epilator may be due to irritation, or to ingrown hairs. Immediately after using the epilator, your skin may redden as a response to having the hair ripped out. These bumps should resolve within a few hours or overnight. Shaving bumps that last into the next day may be a type of folliculitis that results from ingrown hairs. According the Go Ask Alice, the health columnist for Columbia University's Student Health Center, as hair grows it may curl back on itself and grow back into the skin. The skin reacts to this irritation by attacking the hairs as if they were a foreign body. In some cases, these bumps may even become infected, causing even more irritation.
Treatment
If you develop shaving bumps, keep the area clean to prevent infection. Use a mild anti-bacterial soap. You can also apply an over the counter corticosteroid cream to help relieve the itching and discomfort. You'll need to let the hair grow for several weeks. This allows the hairs to grow long enough to emerge from the skin on their own. If bumps become infected, you may need treatment with antibiotics to combat the infection.
Prevention/Solution
Exfoliating the skin daily can help prevent the ingrown hairs that cause most shaving bumps. Use a loofah or an exfoliating scrub and rinse thoroughly. You might also try a different type of epilator to see if one type is less irritating to your skin than another.
Alternatives
If you continue to experience shaving bumps with an epilator, you may need to switch to a different method of hair removal. Try shaving or depilatory creams. A series of laser treatments could result in permanent hair removal and no more shaving bumps.
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