Shaving with acne

It goes without saying that if there is an acne breakout one needs to be careful while shaving. If there is inflammation or there are serious breakouts, it is best for men to skip shaving for a couple of days and treat the breakouts first. Shaving over the breakouts could cause many cuts, be very painful and cause serious infections. There are a lot of simple things one needs to follow to have a perfect shave without adversely affecting the acne.

The razor one uses for shaving with acne is very important. If possible one should use a slightly heavier razor with enough pressure built up because of its weight. Light razors cause you to apply more pressure and potentially damaging the hair follicles. You can also try electric razors or safety razors. The shave is not very close with these razors but they don't cause cuts either. Double and triple edged blades are generally not as good as single edged ones. The double blades lift the hair out of its follicle which is under the epidermis. This in itself aggravates the hair follicle which could cause inflammations.

For those with acne, it is recommended that the area is washed with warm water before shaving. This activity softens up the skin. It relaxes the facial muscles and softens the stubble, helping to get a better shave. For men with sensitive skin, a thick shaving cream is preferable as it gives a greater lather. The lather should be applied and left for some time. This practice softens the hair. The lather should be applied again as a thick layer before the actual shave. Exfoliating prior to shaving helps decrease rashes caused by a razor and also helps to avoid acne.

Shaving against the grain gives a closer shave but is best avoided. Going with the grain doesn't give as close a shave but it causes less irritation and hence is a better technique of hair removal for men with acne. The chances of getting cuts are also minimal in this case. Hence one should shave downwards rather than upwards.

Applying less pressure during shaves is also preferable as it avoids nicking acne lesions which could become further infected. Lighter shaving will cause less irritation to the surrounding skin. A mild toner without alcohol or even an anti-bacterial gel should be applied after each shave. Benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid is present in these gels. This helps in killing the bacteria before they get inside the open follicles and cause infection. They also remove palmitic acid from the shaving cream which clogs the pores.

An oil free wash will also help. Washing should be gentle to the skin. Some moisturizing cream could be applied to keep the skin soft, as shaving dries up the skin considerably.

By following proper practices of how to shave with acne and taking care of the skin one can avoid extended breakouts and also prevent it from getting any worse. One must note that trying to shave over acne causes more inflammation and in some cases infects the entire area and causes scars too. Hence great care must always be taken while shaving over acne-infected areas.