Is That Bump a Pimple or an Ingrown Hair? A Dermatologist Explains How to Tell

An ingrown hair is what occurs when a hair that's previously been removed from the follicle grows back and curls under the skin. They often look like boils or pimples (even groups of pimples) and can often hurt and leave scars if they're not properly removed. This is why many skin-care experts recommend that you exfoliate and use serums after shaving or waxing; it helps to prevent the hair from getting trapped underneath dead skin.

While ingrown hairs originate at the follicle level, pimples originate at the sebaceous oil gland and occur when excess oil gets trapped underneath the skin. They can appear red on the skin and become filled with pus. Ingrown hairs can also be filled with pus, but in many cases, you should be able to see the hair underneath the skin that caused the bump to grow in the first place.

The short answer: yes and no. The long answer: it depends on if either of the two have shown up on a part of your body where you've recently manipulated the hair. "Acne occurs in areas where sebaceous glands predominate: in the T-zone in the face, chest, and back," Dr. Linkner told POPSUGAR. "Ingrown hairs tend to occur where hairs are being manipulated, like the beard or bikini areas."

If you don't shave or wax your face, it's likely that any blemish that appears there is a pimple, whereas if you frequently shave or wax you're bikini area — specifically if it's done incorrectly — there's a larger possibility of you growing an ingrown hair there. Men who shave their faces are also prone to getting ingrown hairs on their neck and jawline areas.

"The first step in trying to tackle either an ingrown hair or pimple is to exfoliate the skin," Linkner said. "This will help relieve the congestion while also increasing the skin-cell turnover to prevent future occurrences. Salicylic acid-based washes are ideal."

If you're trying to get rid of a pimple, Linkner recommends using Rodan + Fields Unblemish Refining Acne Wash ($44) for its "gentle but active approach." The product can be used daily on the face and body.

To combat ingrown hairs on the other hand, she mentioned that it's also important to change out your razor regularly if you shave. "The bacteria that resides on the razor oftentimes is the culprit for the infections at the hair follicles that characterize in grown hairs," she said.

If waxing is your body hair removal method of choice, try exfoliating before and after getting waxed and following up with a product like Fur Ingrown Concentrate ($28).