hi guys,

using my glycolic acid as my lather for a shave doesnt seem to be doing me any wonders (shoildnt have been so excited by dans shaving regimen vid..) anyway...can some one tell me a really good shaving gel and facial scrub to use from the UK?

this is kinda urgent as i need to shave tomorrow

price is no object, but i only breakout in shaving zones, jawline chin neck etc, so need something that wont irritate and isnt packed with irritants.

thanks,

also>>> anyone recommend a good razor, im using wilkinson sword disposables and they arent very good at all...!

Hi, I've suffered from acne for 20 years so have a fair bit of experience when it comes to the balancing act of shaving with acne.

Firstly, have you tried an electric razor? I've seen many, many dermatologists over the last two decades and the overriding advice is to dry shave with an electric razor. A wet blade will, no matter how hard you try, make some tiny, tiny incisions in your skin, without you knowing it. These small cuts (they're not visible and you won't see blood) allow bacteria to enter the top layer of your skin (the epidermis) and cause an increase in your acne. The wet razor then spreads the bacteria over your shaving area.

An electric razor doesn't make the incisions, hence not spreading the bacteria, and helps prevent new formations of acne. You do need to be careful with electric too though. Don't rub too hard, and if you can get a clean shave without going against the grain of your hair growth, do so, it'll be less irritating. You don't need to spend a fortune on an electric razor. A three-headed rotary Philips will do the job. Their basic model will do. Keep the heads clean by rinsing under the tap but you don't need to go crazy with it.

If you're dead set on a wet shave, have you tried using aqueous cream as a shaving cream? It's water based and is usually prescribed for dry or irritated skin as a cream. However, you can also use it as a shaving cream, and as a wash by wetting your face first then washing with it as if it were soap. Using harsh cleansers or soaps will make you acne worse, not better. It took me a long time for me to gain the confidence to use moisturising products rather than drying products since the natural instinct with acne is to dry your skin, due to the oily nature of acne prone skin. However, adding moisture to your skin will prevent your body from releasing too much sebum (oil) from your pores.

I'd recommend that you stay well away from face scrubs. They make acne worse, not better. Concentrate upon not irritating your skin and you will have less acne. Again, the natural instinct is to strip away oil but scrubs irritate and encourage the overproduction of sebum.

After shaving, try a moisteriser. Eurecin moisteriser with 5% urea is very good, but expensive. It won't clog your pores or create acne. If you want a less expensive product, use the same aqueous cream as you use to wash in, as a moisteriser. It's very cheap, you can get it from Boots and it lasts ages. Their own brand is fine. It is also available on prescription from your GP but I think it works out cheaper when bought over the counter (if you don't get free prescriptions). Aqueous cream is water based, so no oils to trouble your acne prone skin.

I hope this is helpful advice to you and any other struggling shavers out there. The results are years of trying everything in the marketplace including roaccutane (4 times), Nlite laser, IPL laser, minocycline, oxytetracycline, doxycycline, Dan's BP (which worked quite well), vitamin B5, bee propolis, aloe vera, etc etc etc. I should write a book.

Good luck.

Matthew

hi buddy,

thanks for taking the time to write that.

how is your acne at the moment after that long???

it was quite confusing lol, am i still to use my glycolic acid cleanser, but to use a cream as my shaving lather?

im really scared to use the electric razor, my stubble isnt like 5 o clok shadow stubble, but if i leave it 3 days or more i breakout, i ddint think not shaving would have such an effect on acne!

can these products be bought from Boots?? how much am i looking at?

Wot do u recommend razor wise? For a wet shave...

take care matt

Hi there

My acne is under control at the moment but I've learned not to expect that to continue! I recently finished a course of Roaccutane which always works well for me but the acne returns after a while.

You don't need to use the glycolic acid cleanser at all. I think it makes things worse in the long run. Think about it, it's an acid based cleanser, which will strip your skin of its natural oils, and encourage more oil to be produced. Causing more problems. I spent a load of money on Jan Marini glycolic acid cleanser and it worked for a little while then made things worse, because I'd damaged the condition of my skin with the constant use of the acid. Don't believe the marketing hype ! (I worked in TV advertising for 12 years, it's largely a load of $@£%!).

Just use the aqueous cream with water as a wash, then rub some more cream around your beard area, shave, wash off with water, then dry your face, then apply some aqueous cream as a moisteriser (no water this time). See how it goes for 3-4 days, you'll soon know how well it works for you.

I strongly recommend you use an electric razor. Wet shaving is far, far more damaging to acne prone skin.

You can buy a three-head rotary electric razor from Boots as well as the aqueous cream. The cream, for a big tub (500ml I think), is about £6. My Philips razor was £39.

If you use a wet razor, try a Gilette Mach 3, or if you don't mind spending the extra money, the Gilette fusion (battery operated version). But again, I think you should go dry shaver.

Hope you sort it out quickly. Send a message if you need any further advice.

Cheers
Matt

Before i'd even heard of the regimen, i'd managed to tame some of my acne by good shaving routine.

What you need to start doing is wet shaving, the proper way.

What you'll need;
A good shaving brush.
A good shaving cream (i've heard good things about the creams you can get from the Body Shop)
A good double edged, safety razor
Hot water

Step One: Soak your shaving brush in hot water

Step Two: Flick off excess water from your shaving brush
Step Three: Whip the cream in a circular motion (either in the palm of your hand, or in the tub your cream came in) until the brush is covered with a thick lather.

Step Four: Wet your face with hot/warm water.

Step Five: Using the brush apply the lathered shaving cream to your face.

Hi,

Different things work for different people for sure. Glad you found something that works for you. I wouldn't recommend using hot water though, over the long term it won't do any favours for your blood capilliaries and can cause flushing of the face (a symptom of acne rosacea). Luke warm water is better for the long term (I'm an old git so know from bitter experience).

Matthew

thx guys...argh i hate conflicting information lol

this aqueous cream? whats in it exactly? never heard of it.

u use the same product as a wash and a moisturiser? thats crazy lol, i suppose its good for not overusing different products tho eh?

im real annoyed, i got my works xmas doo 2morrow and im at home with sudocrem on a whitehead hoping it will bloody disappear!!

ok so i just checked it out, and it says its for dry skin, mine gets really oily in the t zone??

So does mine! It is originally designed for dry skin conditions to use either as a wash or a moisteriser. The reason it's so good is that it's water based, so for dry skin it hydrates and for oily skin, it cleanses without adding oil to your skin and doesn't contain harsh chemicals which irritate.

Give it a whirl.

Cheers
Matthew

Use Gillette razors.

Thats what i use, they work very well. Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Theirry Henry would agree with me im sure

still not sure what to do