shaving with acne

Danny1911 · Post by **Danny1911** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 4:55 pm

How did you guys get through your teenage years shaving with acne? any tips? thanks

function · Post by **function** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 4:59 pm

Teenage years? Ha!

I'm 29 and still dealing with that sh*t. Shaving can actually help it a bit, though every so often the top layer or so on a bump in the skin gets removed causing slight weeping. Keep the witch hazel handy and remember, as soon as the acne is gone you will go bald, gray or both.

Danny1911 · Post by **Danny1911** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 5:11 pm

function wrote:Teenage years? Ha!

I'm 29 and still dealing with that sh*t. Shaving can actually help it a bit, though every so often the top layer or so on a bump in the skin gets removed causing slight weeping. Keep the witch hazel handy and remember, as soon as the acne is gone you will go bald, gray or both.

hahaha and thanks. also i dont really mind it so much but can it be bad for my skin? like premature wrinkles or anything? if so should i take any precautions? thanks

paperpundit · Post by **paperpundit** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 5:14 pm

I'm with Function.

Try to use the most gentle razor you can to keep from chopping the heads off the zits. A DE or injector would be perfect, but a good first step would be a Bic or even a BumpFighter razor.

All the above have a single blade, which will also help to ward off irritation, which can lead to even more acne.

If you can find it, Betadine (or its generic at Walmart) is a great thing to help with acne. Use it in the shower.

Good luck.

Danny1911 · Post by **Danny1911** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 5:22 pm

paperpundit wrote:I'm with Function.

Try to use the most gentle razor you can to keep from chopping the heads off the zits. A DE or injector would be perfect, but a good first step would be a Bic or even a BumpFighter razor.

All the above have a single blade, which will also help to ward off irritation, which can lead to even more acne.

If you can find it, Betadine (or its generic at Walmart) is a great thing to help with acne. Use it in the shower.

Good luck.

I am using a DE although its a merkur HD which i hear isnt all too gentle compared to others. and i will look into the betadine. thank you

paperpundit · Post by **paperpundit** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 1:54 am

Danny, since you are using a DE, try wiping the blade with alcohol before you shave.

Mind you, I've never heard of a DE shaver doing this, but straight shavers swear by it, not only to remove oils but also to help prevent infections.

It won't be a cure-all, but it'll might help.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 7:44 am

Another example of the benefits of alcohol.

m3m0ryleak · Post by **m3m0ryleak** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 9:23 am

Squire wrote:Another example of the benefits of alcohol.

25 years old, bottled in Scotland ?

paperpundit · Post by **paperpundit** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 11:27 am

Squire walks into the bathroom to shave...

"A little toddy for the body..."

BeatlesFan · Post by **BeatlesFan** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 12:07 pm

All good advice so far . . .

I'd add that you might consider using a shaving soap, rather than a cream. Also, you might lather it up somewhere besides your face (bowl or hand). That way you are gently adding a product that shouldn't be putting more oil on your face.

Good luck with it.

Sodapopjones · Post by **Sodapopjones** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 1:42 pm

function wrote:Teenage years? Ha!

I'm 29 and still dealing with that sh*t. Shaving can actually help it a bit, though every so often the top layer or so on a bump in the skin gets removed causing slight weeping. Keep the witch hazel handy and remember, as soon as the acne is gone you will go bald, gray or both.

Ditto and ditto, but the shaving bit doesn't really help me that much, its more in the after shave.

I find if I don't use witch hazel and an alcohol based splash(Clubman), a couple of bumps appear down the road.

paperpundit · Post by **paperpundit** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 1:54 am

Well, since Aaron touched on it...

...the right aftershave could really help. At Walmart -- perhaps at other stores, too -- bump patrol makes a liquid after shave for fighting bumps. It is perhaps the best product of its type on the market. It isn't a cure-all, but its pretty good...

...and if it works on razor bumps, it'll help clear up zits, too. But be warned -- it really burns.

Sodapopjones · Post by **Sodapopjones** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 2:48 am

paperpundit wrote:Well, since Aaron touched on it...

...the right aftershave could really help. At Walmart -- perhaps at other stores, too -- bump patrol makes a liquid after shave for fighting bumps. It is perhaps the best product of its type on the market. It isn't a cure-all, but its pretty good...

...and if it works on razor bumps, it'll help clear up zits, too. But be warned -- it really burns.

Well I do have probably over 50 different AS/Colognes and yet I always find myself coming back to basic witch hazel and any clubman splash... If I try any of the others, I'm sure to have a breakout or two, and I'm taking its because the clubman products have a high concentration of alcohol.

paperpundit · Post by **paperpundit** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 4:05 am

Aaron, out of curiosity, do you use an alum block?

For what its worth, I think the use of alum may be the single greatest contribution wetshaving has done for my complexion.

scruffy · Post by **scruffy** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 11:10 am

You can use Grapefruit Seed Extract to help break the pimples when they turn into whiteheads. Just dab a drop onto a tissue and rub it in.

Rubbing some hydrogen peroxide into the acne should also help. Some pimples are caused by bacterial infections. Cutting back on dairy and sugars should also help reduce the acne.

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:13 am

All POTENTIALLY good advice.

When you do anything too drastic to your skin, it will react. If you take all these gentlemen's advice at once, you will break out so bad you'll have to throw away the mirror and hide in your room for three weeks.

You have to find the balance that keeps your skin as clear and calm as possible. That balance may or may not include some of the products or procedures mentioned already. But most important: anything you do to your skin has to be mild enough to "fly under the radar" and not make your skin fight back. Use the tiniest amount of whatever product or procedure will do the job. Including don't wash your face too much.

Leisureguy · Post by **Leisureguy** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:27 am

I would not wipe the blade with anything, but a quick rinse of the razor head (with blade in place) in high-proof rubbing alcohol just before shaving could be good.

Also, you might want to browse the info at these sites:

AcneNet

Acne.org