13 replies to this topic

[imq707s]

I'm a 29 year old male that has pretty clear skin. I get a few pimples every once in a while, but nothing like I used to get when I was a teenager. I maintain a healthy diet, and try to workout a few times a week.

I've been using electric razors since I started shaving a long time ago, because a standard blade razor gives me really bad breakouts. But even with electric razors, about every two weeks or so, I have a breakouts of what appear to be ingrown hairs on my upper lip. They usually pop up 2-3 at a time. Sometimes they only last for a day or so, but sometimes they form whiteheads and eventually turn into red bumps that last for several days. It seems pretty random...sometimes I wont' get them for weeks, and then all of a sudden it seems like I get them almost every week.

I use an expholiating cleanser after I shave, but that doesn't seem to help.

What can I try to stop these annoying breakouts? Do I need to go and see a dermatoligist?

Any help would be great.

[duane]

i use a trimmer on my neck instead of a shaver because the shaver irritates my neck too much.

[silverlake]

You could try Mama Lotion for ingrown hairs. It reduces mine in my legs. There are also other solutions like Tend Skin or low percentage TCA.

[Siouxsie]

Paula's Choice 2% liquid BHA has been great for my legs. My calves are super sensitive & would be covered in bumps otherwise. You can apply it right after shaving & it doesn't even sting. I use it once a day on my legs (whether I've shaved or not) and even other areas I may get a random zit (arms, chest); it's good for treating/preventing both ingrown hairs and acne.

There's some 2% salycic acid products you can get in drugstores, but most usually have alcohol. I've always found them too drying & irritating, plus the alcohol stings. I really recommend using a more "refined" formula of 2% SA.
Dan has made a 2% SA lotion that is great, but it's not being sold yet. The Paula's Choice one is good except it's a bit pricey. I think I heard that Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Anti-Blemish Cream might be a good drugstore SA, as it doesn't seem to contain alcohol either....again, I think it's kind of over-priced though. I think the PC SA is cheaper per ounce.

[duane]

i advise against using a BHA or AHA because that may just irritate your razor bumps more. i believe that the best treatment for razor bumps is to prevent hair from becoming ingrown in the first place. blades are much worse for razor bump prone skin than shavers or trimmers.

good luck!

[Siouxsie]

i advise against using a BHA or AHA because that may just irritate your razor bumps more.

Actually, BHA helps heal & prevent ingrown hairs; I use one with no alcohol that is PH balanced & it does not irritate my sensitive skin (as mentioned above). An AHA would probably sting & is not supposed to be used right after shaving.

[dizzylizzy]

how about an epilator? Or manual exfoliation.

[duane]

i advise against using a BHA or AHA because that may just irritate your razor bumps more.

Actually, BHA helps heal & prevent ingrown hairs; I use one with no alcohol that is PH balanced & it does not irritate my sensitive skin (as mentioned above). An AHA would probably sting & is not supposed to be used right after shaving.

i agree that BHA can help prevent ingrown hair, but i seriously doubt that BHA can resolve razor bumps. razor bumps are infections. there's nothing in a BHA that can treat an infection. also, attempting to exfoliate inflamed skin would probably only irritate it more, causing it to become even more inflamed.

[ToxicVTEC]

What brand and model electric shaver are you using? When was the last time you changed the blades on it? The quality of the shaver might be affecting your face. If the blade is not sharp or if the shaver is just crappy, it will pull on your hairs while its trying to cut it and end up irritating.

I use a Braun 360 electric shaver and it is wonderful (3 months usage). Imagine a shave shaving with the grain and against the grain but without the irritation, bumps, pus filled bumps, redness, bleeding, etc. That’s how close it gets.

[imq707s]

What brand and model electric shaver are you using? When was the last time you changed the blades on it? The quality of the shaver might be affecting your face. If the blade is not sharp or if the shaver is just crappy, it will pull on your hairs while its trying to cut it and end up irritating.

I use a Braun 360 electric shaver and it is wonderful (3 months usage). Imagine a shave shaving with the grain and against the grain but without the irritation, bumps, pus filled bumps, redness, bleeding, etc. That’s how close it gets.

Well I was using a Remington electric shaver with the three long straight screens on it. It did an ok job, but seemed like it would really want to pull my hair every now and then....and I had to replace the screens all the time.

I recently bought a Norelco shaver...I think it's a 7110X. It's got the three round screens and blades. It seems to feel much smoother when I shave......but it's been creating 3 times the ingrown hairs as my other razor. Maybe it's because of the "lift and cut" system where it actually pulls your hair out a little before it cuts it. That's all I can really think of.

I'm getting them all the time now. I have tried everything.......waiting a few days before shaves, shaving every day, soaking my face in warm water for a few mintes before I shave, using shaving cream, soap lather, dry shaving......no matter what I do they just won't go away.

Usually if I shave at night.....I don't notice any ingrown hairs for about 24 hrs. And they are starting to pop up on the sides of my face, where I never had ANY before. It's really strange, I can't figure out what's going on.

I called a few dermatoligists today.....but they are booked out to 4-8 months!

Is there anythink else I can do to stop these things from poping up?

As far as my regiment goes.....I'm using Dan's Regimen with the acne.org products.

Any help would be wonderfull. Thanks again

[imq707s]

Well, I just wanted to update this post and let everyone know that I think I've found a way to reduce and/or stop the ingrown hairs after shaving!

The one thing that I did that really seemed to help a bunch was to shave daily, instead of every few days like I was doing. I thought that shaving only once or twice a week would cause less irritation, but I think the longer hairs were getting grabbed by the electric razor and getting pulled out...leading to ingrown hairs.

I now shave every morning with the electric razor...and it has helped. I think it's because the hair is shorter now in between shaves, giving the blades less hair to grab onto a pull out. It has really helped, I hardly have any ingrown hairs now.

Well, I hope this helps out a little.

Ian

[CoolGuy68]

Here's what I've done:

Shower before shaving
Took the lifts out of my Norelco Shaver
Clean shaver head after every use
Shave daily
take 100mg of Zinc daily

As a side note, removing the lifts from your Norelco will NOT give you the closest shave, but WILL give you a clean and comfortable shave with no irritation.

[Funky Rob]

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[ctbo]

i would be carefull about using Mama Lotion for ingrown hairs on you're face since it for legs it may clog you're pores and cause zits.shave with the grain that should help dont go the other way.