This article deals with breast hair, how to get rid of ingrown hair on breast and get the perfect boobs you deserve
What is Breast Hair?
Breast hair are dark hair on breast which shows up especially around the nipples. They occur irrespective of your breast size
They initially appear around the time of puberty when hormonal fluctuations commences and they can also appear later in life often as a result of hormonal changes.
Breast hair may be embarrassing especially when it seems you are the only one having it and none of your friends is talking about it.
You should however not freak out if you have breast hair cos you are not alone. Research shows that nipple hair occurs in about 30% of women
Just like any other normal skin area in the body, the areola (area around the nipple) has hair follicles so it is completely normal and should not be a cause for worry if few strands of hair develops from there
Causes of Breast Hair
The following are common causes of breast hair
- Genetics
- Hormonal fluctuations
- Use of birth control pills
Excess Hair on Breast
There are rare instances when there is excess hair on the body of females, a condition medically known as hirsutism which may produce thick hair on the upper lips, chin, and hair on breast (around the nipples and between the breast) on the shoulders and hair on stomach.
Hirsutism is caused by several conditions which include;
Female skin hypersensitivity to circulating androgen (male hormone).
Male hormone such as testosterone is present in small amount within the body of all women. Ladies with this extra sensitivity will notice extra hair from the onset of puberty which tends to continue till menopause.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
This condition occurs in about 7% of women.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is an endocrine disorder that occurs as a result of hormonal imbalance, leading to ovulation problems and growth of excess hair on the female body, including the breast hair.
When the ovaries produce excess androgens (male hormones), the ovaries will develop many cysts and won’t be able to release egg
Apart from hirsutism, other common symptoms of PCOS include irregular periods, acne, weight gain, decreased fertility, male type baldness and depression.
Other severe medical conditions associated with PCOS are problems like diabetes and heart disease. As a result, PCOS should be treated on time.
Cushing syndrome
This uncommon hormonal condition may be due to exposure to high levels of the cortisol hormone which can cause hirsutism.
It may also be as a result of certain medications such as corticosteroids like prednisone capable of causing excess body hair. Certain rare tumors in the brain or adrenal glands should also be considered as a potential cause of this syndrome
Cushing syndrome symptoms are kinda similar to those of polycystic ovarian syndrome, including uneven hair distribution and nipple hairs
Any lady with excess body hair similar to the male pattern should be examined by a doctor to make sure that there is not a medical condition causing the excess growth of body hair
Female Breast Hair Removal Methods
As said earlier, breast hair is normal assuming that there is nothing medically causing the hair around your nipples.
However, some ladies may lose their confidence because of breast hair while many women are embarrassed about hair on breast and wont stop until they do without it.
If you are in that shoes, here are some few tips that may help combating breast hair at the same time prevent ingrown hair on breast.
Pluck out the nipple hair
This technique involves using a strong pair of tweezers. To prevent ingrown hair with this technique, wait till the hair is long enough, then take a warm bath as hot water opens pores, which makes hair removal faster and less painful. Using the tweezers, grab the hair firmly and pull it out with a sharp motion.
Nipple hair grows slowly, so you should be free for at least three weeks.
Shave off the breast hair
Apply an aloe-based shaving gel that does not contain any alcohol or harsh chemicals and shave in the direction of hair growth.
If you choose to shave off the hair around your nipple, you must use a sharp razor. In most cases, a eyebrow razor is ideal and you must also use it carefully to avoid razor burn.
Trimming your nipple hair
If you can trim your breast hair with manicure scissors please do as this seems to be a safer option. However, be very careful not to get too close to the skin
Waxing your Breast hair
This technique has a high tendency of causing irritation and ingrown hair on breast as such its not ideal to do at home. However, some salons offer nipple hair waxing
Laser Hair Removal
You can get your breast hair permanently removed at pretty much any place that does laser hair removal. It is quite painful and it’s pretty costly but it also eliminates breast hair forever
Hormonal treatment
This can help treat hormonal imbalances causing excessive hair growth.
Ingrown Hair on Breast
While trying to remove breast hair by a quick shave since it seems easy, you may develop ingrown hair on breast and sometimes infection
Ingrown hair on breast is a situation where the hair curves back into the skin as it grows out. Ingrown hair on breast is generally painful and can cause the breast to itch.
Home Remedies to Remove Ingrown Hair on Breast
Below are few steps that may help combat ingrown hair on breast for good using the following items; body scrub, towel, cotton pads, tweezers, rubbing alcohol, skin toner, oil free moisturizer
- Using warm water, wash the area of the breast with ingrown hair with any type of scrub unlikely to cause an allergic reaction
- Towel dry by patting with clean towel as rubbing the area with towel can cause irritation
- Sterilize your tweezers by pouring on it a good amount of rubbing alcohol so as to reduce infection risk during and after the removal of ingrown hair on breast.
- Moisten the cotton pad with skin toner and wipe over the affected area so as to prepare the skin for extraction of ingrown hair on breast
- Using the sterilized tweezers, poke your skin to locate the ingrown hair and carefully pluck it out in the direction it’s growing.
- Saturate a cotton pad with rubbing alcohol and gently dab the area with the cotton pad to minimize the risk of infection.
- Gently apply on the area an oil free moisturizer especially the one that contains alpha-hydroxy acid capable of loosening dead skin cells and can prevent breast hair from being trapped again