Tips for shaving: ways to avoid razor bumps and skin inflammation

Shaving tips

Some men insist on growing a beard because it's the only way to correct the problem of ingrown hairs. Medically, this condition is called pseudofolliculitis, commonly known as a "razor bump." It's a common cause of folliculitis in men, especially prevalent among Black men. Curly beard hairs tend to grow inwards when shaved with a sharp razor, causing painful bumps. Dr. Shure, a skincare expert and author of *The Leshua Men's Skincare Guide*, says, "Once a beard grows inwards, it's attacked by the body's natural defenses, and the skin shows signs of infection."

One way to avoid these painful lumps is to grow a beard, but that's a rather extreme example. Usually, simply adjusting your shaving technique can prevent this. Many men believe that a clean shave, like a baby's bottom, is the right way to shave, but this isn't good for the skin. The cleaner you shave, the more likely the short hairs are to grow inwards, because only those short hairs can burrow back into the skin. The following methods might help reduce shaving discomfort:

Never:

Shaving close to the root of the beard can easily break the hair underneath the skin, which can irritate the hair follicles.

• Don't pull your skin too tight when shaving, because once the skin is relaxed, the beard will shrink back into the skin more easily.

• Do not scrape the same area twice.

• Do not shave before exercising, as sweat will irritate freshly shaved skin.

It should be:

Scrape gently to avoid damaging your skin.

• Shave after showering, when your face is softer; or soak your beard in hot soapy water for two minutes before shaving.

Apply shaving cream for at least two minutes to soften facial skin.

Change your razor blades frequently.

• Shave from the top of your cheek downwards to give the shaving cream more time to soften the toughest parts of your short hairs.

The above are all preventative measures. If the skin is already inflamed and swollen, you should not shave for at least a few days to allow the hairs that have grown into the skin to have a chance to grow back and give the skin a few days to rest.

Another method is to buy a pair of tweezers specifically for removing stubble from a hair supply store, along with shaving cream, anti-inflammatory ointment, and antibiotic ointment. First, apply a hot towel to your face until the swelling enlarges, then use the sterilized tweezers to forcefully pull out the short hairs that have burrowed into the skin, following their growth direction. If you can't pull them out after two attempts, stop to avoid irritating the skin and causing inflammation.

If these swellings appear on other parts of the body, then you don't need a razor. In fact, these pinhead-sized yellow bumps can occur anywhere on the skin, but are most common on the chin and cheeks. For example, they can also appear due to bacterial infection when you take a hot bath. In such cases, washing with an antibiotic-containing disinfectant solution will usually resolve the problem.