Ingrown Hairs

Ingrown hairs – what are they?

Ingrown hairs appear as small coloured bumps under the skin. They may be either pink or brown coloured and may occur in clusters in areas where the skin is shaved or removed by waxing or other depilatories.

Consequently they generally occur in the face and neck in men; and the armpits, legs or the bikini area in women.

Ingrown hairs may also occur when hairs break off close to the skin because of friction from tight fitting clothing or when dead skin debris blocks hair follicles causing the hair to grow sideways instead of through the hair follicle.

Generally ingrown hairs occur more often after puberty, when the hairs on the face, armpits and pubic regions thicken and have more difficulty growing up through the hair follicle.

In order to treat an ingrown hair the hair follicle must usually be cleared in order to allow the hair to dislodge and grow straight again, as they do not usually resolve without some treatment.

In most cases, thorough cleansing and gentle exfoliation will help to clear the blockage and allow the lump to subside, but in some instances of long standing ingrown hairs surgical removal may be indicated.

The best treatment is to prevent ingrown hairs occurring in the first place. Hydrating and softening preparations applied to the skin before shaving often prevents the hairs from ingrowing and prevents damage to the skin from the razor blade.

After shaving and using depilatory preparations cleanse the area using gentle circular movements with a warm wet cloth or exfoliant, this also helps to remove any debris that may block hair follicles.

Your community pharmacist can give you advice on treating and preventing ingrown hairs as well as appropriate depilatory preparations to lessen the likelihood of their recurrence.

In severe cases hair follicles may become infected, but your pharmacist can advise if you need to seek treatment from your doctor or if they can solve your ingrown hair problems.

Your community pharmacist is an expert in treating and advising skin conditions, you can trust them to give you advice and solutions to solve your skin problems, or refer you to other treatment if necessary.

Swallowing difficulties (dysphagia)

Causes of swallowing difficulties

Swallowing difficulties can happen at any age. There are a wide range of causes for them, including:

some medicines, such as antipsychotics
heartburn and acid reflux
cancer, such as mouth or throat cancers
nervous system or brain disorders
muscle disorders
blockages or structural issues with your mouth, throat or oesophagus.

Symptoms of swallowing difficulties

Symptoms of swallowing difficulties may include:

coughing or choking when eating or drinking
bringing food back up, may be through your nose
the feeling that food is stuck in your throat
having issues chewing your food
problems with dribbling.

Swallowing difficulties can cause weight loss, dehydration and chest infections.

Diagnosing swallowing difficulties

Let your healthcare provider know if you have swallowing difficulties. They will ask you about your symptoms and check if any other health conditions you have may be the cause.

Your healthcare provider may refer you to a specialist for tests. These may include a:

gastroscopy—a camera is passed down through your mouth to look at your throat and stomach
swallowing study—your throat and stomach are x-rayed as you swallow small amounts of food.

Treating swallowing difficulties

How your swallowing difficulties are treated depends on the cause and how severe it is. Treatments may include:

medicines to treat acid reflux
swallowing therapy with a speech and language therapist
making changes to what you eat and drink, such as softer foods and using thickener in drinks
using special spoons, plates and cups
surgery to widen your oesophagus.
using special medication lubricants eg Gloup to help make it easier to swallow tablets etc. For more information click here.

Self care for swallowing difficulties

As well as seeing your healthcare provider, the following tips may help you to get food or liquids into your stomach.

Sit upright in a chair—at a table is best.
Have regular small meals instead of the main large meals.
Eat or drink small mouthfuls at a time.
If your voice is gurgly when you eat or drink, give a small cough to make sure your airway is clear.
Wet food will be easier to swallow as dry food can catch in your throat.
If your food has 2 consistencies, such as fruit in juice and cereal in milk, try to mix it into 1 consistency, or eat the solid and liquid portions separately.
Concentrate on eating and avoid talking.
Hot, ice-cold or fizzy liquids are easier to swallow than room temperature liquids.
If you are told to have thickened liquids, avoid ice-cream and jelly as they thin before swallowing.
Drink from the top half of you cup to avoid tipping your head back.

Have a look at our range of Gloup medication lubricants here which can help with difficulties swallowing tablets...

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