Chin hair and scarring from plucking

[newgirl8487]

I really need some help. I’m nearly 35 and in the last 2 years I seem to be getting more and more chin hairs on one side of my chin and I don’t know why. I can see them under the surface and sometimes they need to be pricked with tweezers so that I can get under the skin to get them. Sometimes they even kind of need to be dug out which is painful and leaves my face red and sore. Some are thick and stubborn which leads to irritation on my skin. Sometimes before a hair appears I can see a dark shadow under the skin and when I squeeze it, black stuff comes out - it’s not a blackhead, it’s almost like a hair without a root?

I really need help with a) how to manage these hairs and b) the scarring - see pic below. I’m so embarrassed and ashamed and can’t go out without make up. I’m due to go on holiday with my new partner in June and I don’t know how I’m going to hide it for an extended period of time, or manage the hair re growth - each day it seems new ones appear.

Buy some silicone scar tape and wear it on the affected area all night every night if you can.

Stop plucking your chin hairs and shave them off as they appear instead.

Use a chemical exfoliator to encourage the skin to renew itself quicker.

The Phillips Lumea might also work on them if you can't afford expensive laser or electrolysis treatments. Look for a deal in the Black Friday sales. Give your skin time to heal first.

With electrolysis it is actually better not to have the hairs there when you have the treatment. As I recall I was told to shave rather than pluck. I was worried about exactly this and it was never a problem at all. I had electrolysis in my mid 30s. Wish I'd done it when I was 18 and saved myself all those years of stress about facial hair.

There needs to be a bit of hair under the skin surface for the IPL/laser to work, ideally you shave instead of pluck for that to happen. You don't need visible hair sticking out though.

Obviously that's easier in some ways to manage in winter.

I use a tweezer man facial razor every few days and only pluck single stubborn hairs with good tweezers (Tweezerman again) once the hair starts to emerge
Try not to dig that’s where you are causing the problem

I feel like you might be a bit obsessional, as I think most people let them grow before plucking. It may help to talk to your GP about this?

When you dig them out you damage the follicle. It doesn't always heal straight, which mean the next hair to try to grow out of it gets trapped.

You really do need to wait until there's hair above the surface of your skin to grip with tweezers. But you also need to stop obsessing. Nobody else sees what you do (and that's coming from me, a born picker and prodder but I've learned).

Drastic but could you take a few days off work, leave them alone, and the night before you go back only pluck the ones you don't have to dig for?

With the Lumea, you can still shave but not wax/pluck (presuming the hair root needs to be there for it to work).

Also to add, magnesium sulphate paste is good for drawing out the ingrowns.

Ive plenty chin hair and started using a facial shaver from boots - they've a few similar ones, around thirty quid. Needs to be used every three or four days but only takes a minute and super smooth result. I used a facial epilator for a bit but they always wore out very quickly.

For laser you can shave in-between treatments x

Nope, no gel, just dry - I think this is what I have. Super easy. Definitely gets stubbly quickly and my bf thinks its just hilarious watching me "shave" but it's soooo easy to keep up, literally takes 20 seconds in the morning. https://www.boots.ie/braun-face-mini-hair-remover-fs1000-electric-facial-hair-removal-for-women-10293228?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paidshopping&utm_campaign=catchall&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADRP81qoXPM-ENmQl3nWHBhyNCJDh&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiLLABhCEARIsAJYS6uletrzaovJDlbWZntk6Wl0SjFIa6p_NUJFvh7Mm0iucDUQlJaQynesaAkQ-EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I go to an Asian salon and they do threading and waxing. I never end up feeling sore.

Thank you everyone for your help, empathy and advice. I have bought myself a face razor, some decent moisturiser (the skin is very flaky from where I have been digging) and bio oil and I’m going to get some scar tape - didn’t even know that was a thing! I will definitely look into electrolysis/laser. I think this has definitely become a fixation/obsession for me and it really needs to stop. Really appreciate you all taking the time to help me 🙏🏻