Skin irritation after shaving
Skin irritation after shaving is an inflammatory response of the epidermis to mechanical hair removal. Shaving is the most common way to remove unwanted hair on your face and body. It is used by both men and women.
Most often, razors are used for the shaving procedure, since they are simple and safe to use. In addition, the hair removal procedure itself takes a few minutes and does not require any special skills. However, ignorance of the basic rules of shaving hair, refusal to use auxiliary products (gels, balm foams, etc.) and the wrong technique for performing the procedure - all this leads to irritation on the skin.
It is not difficult to understand that the skin of the face or body is irritated after shaving. The most common sign of irritation is redness. In addition, acne and peeling areas may appear on the skin. An indispensable companion of skin irritation is itching of varying intensity.
Content:
- Causes of skin irritation after shaving
- Preventing Skin Irritation After Shaving
- Methods for treating skin irritation after shaving
Causes of skin irritation after shaving
The causes of skin irritation after shaving are varied, the main ones being:
- Incorrect skin shaving technique.
- Daily hair removal.
- Improper skin care before shaving, during and after the procedure. The use of alkaline soap, alcohol solutions that dry out the dermis.
- Untimely replacement of the razor blades or the shaving machines themselves.
- Shave damaged, irritated or dry skin. You should not start the procedure if the skin is not pre-moistened. Any, even the most expensive and high-quality razor will irritate dry skin, scratch and cling to hairs.
- Injury to the skin during shaving, followed by the entry of pathogenic bacteria into microscopic wounds. Skin infections can be very dangerous, as bacteria can cause inflammation and suppuration of the wound. Therefore, if after shaving the skin swells, becomes very painful, large blisters filled with pus appear on it, the body temperature rises, then it is necessary to seek medical help.
Rotary shavers can cause irritation on the skin. Such devices come into very tight contact with the skin, which leads to irritation. In addition, the stubble is not shaved at the root. Hair protrudes above the surface of the skin, touches clothing items, bedding, which leads to irritation.
Preventing Skin Irritation After Shaving
How to prevent skin irritation after shaving depends on what causes the reaction. Therefore, you need to consider them through the prism of the reasons that cause unwanted inflammation:
Correct hair shaving technique
- When shaving, you must adhere to a strictly specified direction. Movements should go from top to bottom, along the growth of the hair. Some areas may be shaved diagonally.
- Do not apply too much pressure to the skin. It's good if you manage to pull it a little with the hand that remains free.
- Every 2-3 movements, the machine should be rinsed under running water. The more blades you have on your razor, the quicker the cut hairs will clog them, resulting in poor shaving performance and irritation.
- If the hair to be shaved is soft, rinse the razor with cold water. If the hair is coarse, the water jet should be warm.
- Irritation in men most often occurs when shaving the chin and the area above the upper lip. To reduce the likelihood of its occurrence, the skin should be pre-steamed, as this procedure allows the pores to expand. When shaving, your lips should be pressed tightly against your front teeth.
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The fewer blade movements performed over one area of the skin, the lower the risk of inflammation.
- If there are ingrown hairs, then they should first be picked up with tweezers, and then shaved off with a gentle movement.
Shaving frequency and optimal time for procedure
No matter how fast your hair grows, daily shaving will negatively affect your skin and will not prevent irritation. Therefore, you should take a break between hair removal procedures at least one day.
The bikini area is best treated in the evening to allow the skin to breathe. It is advisable not to dress for 20 minutes, and after this time it is good to powder the skin with baby powder.
For the skin of the face to have time to recover, it is best to shave it before bed, too. During the night, the skin will calm down and even if irritation does arise, it will not be as pronounced as in the first hours after hair removal.
Pre-Shave, During and After Shave Skin Care
Moisturize your skin before shaving. To do this, you can use special creams. If for some reason this is not possible and you have to shave dry skin, then you should first powder it with talcum powder. You can also steam your skin in a hot shower or bath, or simply apply a towel soaked in warm water to it. Leave him
The gel provides a smoother glide of the machine on the skin, compared to shaving foam. It should be applied to the area to be treated 5 minutes before the start of the procedure to make the bristles softer. Do not use regular soap to create the lather, as it will not provide optimal glide to the razor and will also dry out your skin.
Foam or other shaving product should be selected according to your skin type. On the packaging of any product there is a corresponding mark on which you need to focus. If the choice of shaving product is difficult, then you should purchase one that has the inscription "for sensitive skin".
You should also use different products for shaving the intimate area and for removing facial hair. Most men's gels and foams are not suitable for thinner, more sensitive women's skin and will tend to irritate them.
After shaving, you need to rinse your skin with cool water, which will tighten the pores and soothe the dermis. It is strictly forbidden to rub the skin with a hard towel, you just need to get it wet.
You should not treat the skin after shaving with alcohol solutions, especially when it comes to the bikini area or armpits. It is better to use this recipe: you should grind 2 tablets of acetylsalicylic acid into powder and add glycerin (2 tablespoons) to the resulting mixture. You can also use hydrogen peroxide or Chlorhexidine solution for disinfection.
If there is no suitable product at hand, then after hair removal, you can disinfect the skin with a roll-on deodorant, but not an antiperspirant.
You should not comb the resulting redness, in general, once again it is better not to touch the skin so as not to infect.
Choosing and caring for a razor
The machine tool plays a very important role. The most common shaving device is considered to be disposable razors. They should be changed as the blades become dull. No remedy will help you avoid irritation if you use a dull razor.
After shaving, the rams should be well rinsed and then wiped clean. This will keep the blades working for longer. To prevent the growth of microbes, you need to treat the machine with alcohol.
The electric shaver should only be used to remove stiff hair. She can't cope with soft hair. In addition, it is unable to remove impurities from the pores, which can lead to irritation.
Methods for treating skin irritation after shaving
Sometimes it is still impossible to avoid an unwanted reaction.
In this case, you can use the following tips to help eliminate skin irritation after shaving:
- A cold compress helps to soothe the skin. For this purpose, you can use herbal infusions: chamomile, string, calendula, celandine, sage.
- Cream with a string, aloe juice, calendula, and tea tree oil help to soothe the skin after shaving. Boric ointment can be applied to the skin.
- If irritation is severe, you can use Hydrocortisone ointment. It contains a glucocorticosteroid hormone that effectively treats itching, redness, and irritation of the skin. However, this ointment can be used extremely rarely, since it can be addictive and has a number of contraindications. The ointment is applied in a thin layer, no more than twice a day. Before use, you should read the instructions.
- Applying zinc ointment to the skin helps to eliminate inflammation in the intimate area. Beforehand, you should wait until the skin is completely dry. Zinc ointment can be used no more than 5 times per day.
- If the skin is oily, then to eliminate irritation, you can use a solution of alcohol and water in a ratio of 1 to 1. The resulting composition should be applied to a cotton swab and gently wipe the inflamed areas with it. Do not use an alcohol solution to treat the intimate area.
- You can apply Benzoyl Peroxide 2.5% ointment to irritated skin. It eliminates inflammatory reactions, and also effectively helps fight acne.
- If you don't need to go outside, you can use an oil balm to reduce skin irritation. To prepare it, you need vegetable oil and tea tree oil in a ratio of 4 to 1.
- It is good to always have an infusion of birch leaves in the refrigerator, which effectively soothes the skin and is absolutely safe to use. You will need 1 teaspoon of dried crushed birch leaves and 100 ml of boiling water. The leaves are poured with water, insisted for two hours, filtered and applied to the areas of inflammation with the help of cotton pads.
- If the irritation is not very strong, then baby cream will help get rid of it, which you just need to apply to dry skin.
- Blue clay helps to quickly get rid of irritation after shaving, as well as whiten the skin. However, it should not be used on dry or thin skin.
- You can use D-panthenol ointment, which moisturizes the skin well and quickly relieves irritation.
- To eliminate irritation after shaving in the bikini area, you can use Vagisil cream, which is designed specifically for these purposes. In its composition, it contains extracts of medicinal plants, so you can not be afraid of side effects from using the cream.
- Common laundry soap can help reduce skin irritation. It needs to be foamed well and applied to the inflamed area. After the foam has completely dried, wash off the soap, and pat the skin with a dry terry towel.
Shaving skin without irritation is a whole science, however, it is comprehended very quickly and easily. It is enough to force yourself to perform simple preparatory procedures several times for them to become a habit. If, for any reason, inflammation still occurs, then it can be eliminated using special creams or other improvised means.
The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist
Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).
