Do you experience open, darkened pores and have a dotted appearance on your legs? You may be suffering with strawberry skin! Let’s find out what you can do.
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What is Strawberry Skin?
Strawberry skin is commonly found on the legs when hair follicles damaged by shaving become enlarged. These follicles get clogged by dirt, bacterial and oil. As the trapped dirt and oils reach the air and oxidise, it creates the strawberry seed-like appearance on the skin. It is a harmless condition, and should not be painful or itchy – but it can impact self-esteem. The medical name for strawberry skin is folliculitis.
Symptoms include:
- Open pores that appear dark
- A pitted/dotted appearance on the legs
- Black or brown spots after shaving legs
- Rough, dry or irritated skin
The lighter your skin, the more visible strawberry skin is.
How to prevent it?
Exfoliating on a regular basis is key to fixing this unsightly problem. Removing dead skin from your legs gives new hair the chance to break through the skin’s surface.
So, focus on exfoliation and moisturising. Give your legs some TLC. If you do choose to shave, use a new, sharp, quality razor. Shave with warm (not hot) water. Rinse the razor often and change it regularly. It may be tempting to keep your razor in the shower – but don’t. It will get rusty and harbour bacteria.
Don’t apply too much pressure to the skin and always use a shaving cream. Consider an alternative to shaving. You can remove unwanted hair with Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) instead.
Benefits of IPL
This non-invasive and highly effective laser treatment targets structures within the skin. The light is absorbed by the melanin in the hair and converted into heat. This damages the follicle making it unable to support further hair growth. IPL is safer than shaving – in the long term you will save time and money. The number of treatments will vary. You should see significant results in 3-6 treatments.
Say goodbye to strawberry skin before summer strikes by exfoliating and relooking your hair removal routine.
