Help for acne prone skin!

M

Marky

Joined
Thursday January 5, 2012
hi guys just wondering if any of you have advice on shaving for someone with acne prone skin?
i'm 24 and still getting spots :(
i also get ingrown hairs a lot and those annoying little bumps that look like tiny spots ( always on the right side of my chin too)

if you could recommend some good razors or shaving lotion that would be greatly appreciated

what makes things worse is i am starting the RAF soon and will have to shave everyday! total nightmare lol
 
Hi & very welcome Marky. Don't know what type of cleanser or soap you use presently, however can only suggest the usual preventatives.
I wouldn't be tempted to go for any of the "skin bars" which tend to dry out the skin as this so often just encourages the production of more oil. Try a PH balanced liquid skin wash such as Seba Med perhaps, using lukewarm water and rinsing two or even three times before patting dry with a really soft & thick natural fibre towel. Even a nappy can make a good face towel. Ecosopia make a very gentle & non irritant glycerine based liquid skin cleanser which I mainly use, details @ www.ecosopia.com.
As far as shaving goes I believe that Canuck has summed it up when he suggests that avoiding repeated strokes with a multi blade should help to alleviate the prob a lot.
You may well find that a shaving cream rather than a soap helps to give an easier lather with less potential irritation than a hard soap. I'd think of any of the "sensitive" branded ones and less highly perfumed varieties. I believe that Taylors of Old Bond St. have one & I know Muhle make a Sea Buckthorn variety for skin health. Some of us on this forum can also recommend our own soapmakers, amongst whom are Professor Blighty, Nanny's Silly Soaps, Sunburyboy & Henk. Any of these can give you advice regarding their gentlest products. I'll leave suggestions for kit to others.
I should probably add that I have no medical qualifications, these are only experience based suggestions & I don't have any links with any of the products.

Best of luck. JohnnyO. \:icon_razz:
 
Marky said:
hi guys just wondering if any of you have advice on shaving for someone with acne prone skin?
i'm 24 and still getting spots :(
i also get ingrown hairs a lot and those annoying little bumps that look like tiny spots ( always on the right side of my chin too)

if you could recommend some good razors or shaving lotion that would be greatly appreciated

what makes things worse is i am starting the RAF soon and will have to shave everyday! total nightmare lol
Click to expand...

As well as any shaving recommendations, it might be worth asking your doctor if it would be appropriate to prescribe some tetracycline or a similar antibiotic, whether topical or in tablets. It attacks the bacteria which causes acne (Propionebacterium, since you're not asking). It worked a treat for me when I was 19.

As with all pharmaceuticals, though, there are some side-effects and contraindications, and in your case it might not be appropriate or effective.

But it's worth asking, right?
 
Forget about products, you need to correctly diagnose what your problem is. To help we need to know what your current shaving regime is, what products you use and the extent of your acne problem.

Do you get acne on the non shaving areas of your face? If you do then a trip to the GP is advisable, start by studying the guides and videos in shaving help section.
 
Ken T M said:
Marky said:
hi guys just wondering if any of you have advice on shaving for someone with acne prone skin?
i'm 24 and still getting spots :(
i also get ingrown hairs a lot and those annoying little bumps that look like tiny spots ( always on the right side of my chin too)

if you could recommend some good razors or shaving lotion that would be greatly appreciated

what makes things worse is i am starting the RAF soon and will have to shave everyday! total nightmare lol
Click to expand...

As well as any shaving recommendations, it might be worth asking your doctor if it would be appropriate to prescribe some tetracycline or a similar antibiotic, whether topical or in tablets. It attacks the bacteria which causes acne (Propionebacterium, since you're not asking). It worked a treat for me when I was 19.

As with all pharmaceuticals, though, there are some side-effects and contraindications, and in your case it might not be appropriate or effective.

But it's worth asking, right?
Click to expand...

Oh, and I'm into my 30's and still get the occasional spot. No big deal. I'm going quite bald, too. Don't care.

Presumably, you're going to be facing far greater hardships in the armed forces than acne. I believe that the deciding factor in getting treatment is not whether any of these issues of appearance bring you down, it's about whether or not you let them bring you down. So don't let them.

Unless it's uncomfortable. My acne used to be so bad it caused me pain. So I took it to a doctor and got it fixed.

But enough about me, what's your current thinking?
 
hi guys thanks for all the replies
yea i've already been to a dermatologist and gotten anti-biotics and a topical, which were working pretty good but due to my lifestyle over christmas and new year it all went to pot lol

it's not so much the acne as the ingrown hairs and annoying little red bumps i hope to learn how to avoid from you guys

it's probably mostly my appalling technique to blame :p
 
Spend a morning watching some of the shaving technique videos on youtube. The key bits of advice I would offer are:

  • Make sure your beard is properly hydrated
  • First pass with the grain
  • Let the weight ot the razor do all the work (don't apply pressure)
  • Finish with some sort of moisturisation

Good luck!
 
For bumps and ingrown hairs you can use Tend Skin Ingrown Hair Solution - I used to suffer from them and its very good stuff.

As for acne you might also find it could be diet related. I used to have it quite bad but then found out I was lactose intolerant - cut out dairy products all together and now no longer get dry skin or acne. Its worth a look at.
 
I find these skin care sections very interesting. it might be useful to run a separate Topic Section solely on the issue and new products that are being offered. Know we're not here to give Medical advice but our members do have a vast experiential data base to draw from.
 
Look at my magic potion (http://www.theshavingroom.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=11643) , it works! Ive always suffered from spots on the nexk area and chin and they have almost gone!!

Matt
 
Marky said:
i also get ingrown hairs a lot and those annoying little bumps that look like tiny spots ( always on the right side of my chin too)
Click to expand...

It could be that your shaving technique is uneven between the two sides of your face / chin, so as others have suggested watch some videos on You-Tube, especially Mantic59.
 
look on the bright side mate, i've just turned 30, and i still get the odd spot now and then.

Thankfully not shaving related, and more down to my combination skin.

That said i do have sensitive rash prone skin if i'm not careful. I found a combination of Edwin Jagger razor, Persona blades, new forest tubby brush and TOBS jermyn st sensitive shave cream suit me very well as a combination.

I can NEVER shave every day, unless..... (and heres my top tip)

go for a clean one pass shave. If i do a decent and slow with the grain pass, with a very very gentle across the grain in some key areas (chin, jaw line) it causes so little irritation that i could easily do so again the next day.

if i try for a proper with the grain, across the grain (all over) and an against the grain. It feels fine on the day, but is a bit too sensitive the next day to do it again, and i'd just end up causing a rash that didnt otherwise need to be there. I find that I look fine on the second day anyway, because the first shave is so clean. But if they are going to enforce that you shave every single day, i'd say limit yourself to a one pass shave and move on.
 
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