Dr. Phil Kieran: My daughter has ingrown hairs and is self-concious about her legs, any advice?

Dr. Phil Kieran: Skin irritation from shaving can be a really upsetting problem for young people.

My 15-year-old has started to shave her legs this summer, but is getting ingrown hairs. Some of them have become infected and painful. She is using an antiseptic cream, which is helping. She has promised to stop shaving until the spots have cleared, but is feeling very self-conscious about her legs. What would you suggest?

Skin irritation from shaving can be a really upsetting problem for young people.

They can already be self-conscious about shaving and making the fact that they’re shaving more visible can compound the issue.

Your advice to stop shaving the legs until everything is properly settled down is perfect, even if your daughter is finding that hard.

A lot of the time, these issues will settle down, but if it is starting to get worse in any particular area it’s a good idea to visit your GP as that could be a sign of a bacterial infection, which can need antibiotics.

When the skin has fully settled there are two topics to address to stop this happening again.

One is keeping the skin as healthy as possible, and the other is looking at ways to minimise the irritation caused by hair removal.

Healthy skin is less likely to become irritated. Healthy skin starts with making sure it is kept well hydrated and doesn’t get too much sun damage.

If your daughter has skin irritation from things like detergent or fabric softener it is a good idea to eliminate these irritants.

Some people may also find that their skin reacts poorly to certain sun cream products or fake tan (it would be nice if people didn’t need to feel self-conscious about pale skin or hair on their legs but I don’t think we can fix that issue today).

Keeping the skin healthy and moisturised will go a long way to helping avoid irritation and infection.

I suspect your 15-year-old is probably young enough that vaping or nicotine use isn’t an issue but for anyone else smoking and vaping (likely any use of nicotine because of its effects on blood supply) is bad for the skin. It ages the skin and has a negative effect on its healing. 

When the skin does settle down and she is looking to remove the hair again, it may be worth looking at her shaving technique or maybe looking at alternative depilatory techniques.

When shaving, the skin should be cleaned gently with warm water first. Use an appropriate shaving soap/gel/cream and a sharp razor and shave in the same direction as the hair grows. A dull blade will pull the hair before it cuts it and this can pull skin up into blade too.

Sharing razor blades is a good way to also share any unwanted skin bacteria so I don’t recommend it.

It may be worth trying a non-shaving option for hair removal such as waxing or hair removal creams (make sure to test on a small area first to make sure the skin will tolerate it).

These options have a lower risk of cuts but can cause chemical irritation, so finding a method that works for her is important.

In your daughter’s case, waiting until the skin is fully recovered is the key, and then seeing what works best for her.

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