Majority of people who use the method of shaving come across the problem of strawberry legs which appear on the skin as red bumps called keratosis pilaris.
This skin condition makes women in particular very self-conscious about their appearance, especially during the summertime where they shave more often in order to wear their favorite shorts or dress.
And the last thing you want to see is strawberry legs, where dark dots cover your legs.
Well, rest assured because it is a very common thing. All you need to do is read the below article to get more information about strawberry legs and choose the suitable method to get rid of yours.
Strawberry legs Symptoms
There is sometimes a slight confusion between strawberry legs and skin rash.
Below are few of the symptoms in order to be able to distinguish them from a common skin rash.
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Dark Spots
These are spots which appear on your skin after removing hair. The dark spots are a result of unlogged pores.
And due to the fact that you didn’t manage to remove all of the hair properly.This leads to ingrown hair which primarily contributes to the creation of dark spots on your skin.
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Uneven skin
Typically everyone can notice a soft skin after hair removal. However, if you happen to feel rough and bumpy skin you are likely to get strawberry legs.
This happens when you have dry skin or do not exfoliate properly before you shave.
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Dry skin
Dry skin is really difficult to manage when it comes to shaving. Most people end up developing strawberry legs due to the fact that the razor blade can’t reach the hair follicles and results in some type of skin inflammation which shows on the skin as dark spots(1)
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Razor bumps
Razor bumps can occur because of different reasons such as dry skin, lack of moisturizing, no exfoliation prior to shaving.
The hair follicles underneath the skin can’t find a way to come out so they appear as dark spots on your legs.
Another reason is that your shaving technique isn’t the best out there and you need to change it along with your razor.
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Patchy skin
One of the symptoms is skin discoloration, where parts of your leg tend to be darker than other parts due to a certain illness you have, dry skin, sensitive skin, skin rash due to your razor and other reasons.
As a result different red spots start to appear on your legs.
Strawberry legs Causes
Skin types differ from one to another, consequently, the reason behind strawberry legs differ as well. If you do not know ow the actual reason behind yours, here are few causes that might be causing it that you were not aware of.
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Shaving
Removing your hair using shaving rather than shaving is maybe the cause of your strawberry legs. In fact, it is proven that shaving has less efficiently the hair from the roots as much as wax does, which leads to the appearance of dark dots. You probably shave in the wrong way and you haven’t even noticed it.
Since the right way to shave is to move your razor along with the natural way the hair grows not the opposite.
By this, you are contributing to the possibility of missing hair and causing the hair to curve underneath your skin instead of getting shaved. And that’s how you develop razor bumps as well (2).
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Clogged Pores
This usually happened to people with large pores. If you have large pores and you do not exfoliate your skin before shaving, you are probably going to notice dark spots on your legs. When you shave without exfoliating your legs your shaving will be difficult.
Thus, your razor won’t move smoothly and you end up causing razor bumps and dark dots due to the fact that the razor didn’t remove the entire hair follicles underneath the skin (3).
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Dry skin
If you have a dry skin type you might want to use wing rather than shaving. Your dry skin can get irritated very easily due to the least friction that might happen.
That is why using a blade razor won’t help much to avoid inflammation. Your dry skin basically has a very high risk of developing irritation due to razors and creams since there layer protecting your skin is not doing its job properly.
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Razor bumps
They are red spots which appear due to improper shaving. Whether you are using the wrong shaving technique, not using enough shaving creams, using old razors or even not opening your pores prior to shaving.
It is very important to know the correct way of shaving in order to avoid these bumps.
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Keratosis Polaris
The term refers to the blockage on the level of hair follicles. This happens when the keratin which protects the skin starts to pile up until it clogs your hair follicles, and that is how you notice dark spots appearing.
People tend to suffer from it mainly during winter when the moisture level decreased due to the weather (4).
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Shaving razor
Your razor is a very important factor when it comes to strawberry legs. If your blade is old it causes skin irritation and itchiness when it is not sanitized it causes inflammation, and when you use it in the wrong direction of hair growth it results in sloppy shaving with razor bumps and ingrown hair.
You need to always make sure to use a clean and very sharp razor to make things easier for you.
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Folliculitis
This means the inflammation of your hair follicles. This skin condition develops due to the spread of bacteria or infection and causes itchiness, pain, and the appearance of red spots and bumps along your legs area.
This is why you need to be very careful and contact your doctor if your symptoms start to get severe.
Can strawberry legs be cured?
It depends on the cause of it, your skin type and the type of treatment you choose.
Sometimes you can minimize it using home remedies so it can be invisible and other times you can cure it once and for all for example if you use laser hair removal but it can be expensive a little bit and it requires several session so it depends on your budget and what you prefer by the way you’ll find in this articles almost all techniques that cure strawberry legs.
You need to consult a doctor about the appropriate procedure and its intensity. do not stress because it is a very common condition that can be resolved very easily.
Home Remedies to get rid of Strawberry Legs
Home remedies are conventional ways to reduces and treat your simple skin conditions such as strawberry legs.
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Exfoliation
The exfoliation step is very crucial prior to shaving. You must make sure that your pores are open and unclogged in order to be able to remove the hair smoothly and entirely.
You have to use exfoliating creams or natural exfoliators such as sugar, honey, and lemon. The scrub helps to smoothie your skin and get rid of the dirt and dead skin that causes strawberry legs (5).
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Waxing
Using the waxing method helps to cure your strawberry legs naturally. You can only notice results when you wax regularly without returning to shaving.
Waxing is more gentle on the skin and works to remove the hair from the roots preventing the appearance of the dark dots.
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Milk & salt
This is a type of natural scrub which can be used on other parts than legs even the face. It exfoliated the skin and gets rid of the dead skin, smooth your skin, and opens up your pores.
What you need to do is the following:
- Mix some milk with salt in a bowl.
- Wet your legs with some warm water.
- Scrub your legs gently, in order to open up your pores.
- Rinse it off with Lukewarm water.
- Use a moisturizer after you finish.
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Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is an ingredient which is known to heal the skin, smoother it and refine it. It helps nourish your skin and decrease you’re your enlarged pores.
- Take some of the Aloe Vera gel, mix it with some sugar and few drops of lemon juice.
- Apply the mixture on your legs and scrub it gently for few minutes.
- Rinse it off with lukewarm water and tap it dry.
- Moisturize your legs after to help keep your pores closed.
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Baking soda
You may already have this ingredient in your house because it is accessible at the majority of households. Baking soda is an excellent exfoliation product it has a deep cleansing and exfoliating effect, which helps keep your pores unclothed and dirt free.
- Take some Baking soda with some milk.
- Scrub the mixture on your legs gently for few seconds and leave it to dry on your legs.
- Rinse it off, then moisturize to protect the pores and soften your skin.
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Tea tree oil
This type of oil is known for its anti-bacterial effect. It protects the skin from harsh sensation and inflammation.
- Mix some tea tree oil with some coconut oil in a bowl.
- Apply the scrub on your legs and scrub gently.
- Leave it for a few minutes then rinse it off.
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Epilator
A lot of women tend to use an electric epilator for various reasons such as less time and effort as well as more cleaner and effective better than shaving and waxing.
The epilator removes the hair from the deep roots without irritating the skin or causing enlarged pores. It works to protect the skin and keeps it tight and smooth.
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Rosewater
This remedy is known to be effective for ages. Rose water helps reduce irritation and inflammation. It also helps reduce large pores in a major way.
- Blend some cucumber with drops of rose water.
- Apply on your legs and let it dry.
- Rinse it off and moisturize after.
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hazel
Witch hazel is a great antioxidant remedy. It helps treat enlarged pores as well as prevents skin inflammation from developing especially after shaving.
That is why you need to always rub your legs with witch hazel after shaving because it will close up your pores and prevent strawberry legs.
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Egg white
Egg white is an alternative for pore minimizing creams. it uses its elements in order to tighten your skin which means decreasing the size of your pores. this will help the process of treating your strawberry legs.
All you have to do is mix eggwhite with some drops of lemon juice and apply it directly on your legs. after that, you leave it to dry and wash it with cold water. again you need to moisturize after it.
Do I have to see a doctor?
The answer to this question is that NO you do not need to see a doctor because of strawberry legs. It is a very harmless common condition which has no risk to your health.
However if you tried everything to treat it or even reduce it but you couldn’t, you might want to see a doctor for better medical creams or laser treatment to reduce it.
You also want to see a doctor if your strawberry legs are severe because it might be caused by a certain illness you didn’t know about.
Generally, strawberry legs are harmless so do not stress over it because a lot of people suffer from it.
How to get rid of strawberry legs with clinical treatment?
Sometimes your system is the responsible for your strawberry legs and your doctor will suggest a couple of solution for you.
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pills and creams
Your doctor may prescribe some pills and creams which will help regulate your hair growth.
It can also help reduce hair growth and balance your hormones, sometimes you can use it to boost your amine system against bacteria and infections.
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Chemical peels
These type of peels uses acids in order to decrease your enlarged pores by time, extracting dead skin as well as softening your skin.
The peels are prescribed by a dermatologist so do not buy any chemical peel you find you may damage your skin. You have to use these peels regularly depending on their intensity.
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Laser hair removal
You can sort to this procedure in order to get rid of hair permanently or reduce hair growth over time. Your doctor will have to use special lights to penetrate the top layers of the skin to reach the hair follicles and get rid of it.
There are different types of laser treatments your doctor will use the suitable one for your case based on your skin type(6).
How to prevent Strawberry legs?
- Always exfoliate your skin prior to shaving.
- If you have sensitive skin try waxing rather than shaving.
- Make sure that your skin is always moisturized to prevent dark bumps.
- Use gentle loofahs to exfoliate.
- Try shaving during the shower in order to make use of the warm water that opens up the pores.
- Use sharp razor blade.
- Shave in the same direction as the hair growth.
Conclusion
Now you probably know everything about strawberry legs, its causes and how to treat it, we hope that you can treat your problem in a short amount of time.
Once again do not stress over the situation too much since it is a very common and simple condition. You can enjoy your America wearing whatever you like without being self-conscious about your appearance ever again.
