Thread: Help with weird skin..."abrasion"?

Originally Posted by Tack

Ha!

I'm with the "something is scraping you" crowd here. It could be a bit too much pressure and too steep an angle, as mentioned. Since you mention that the problem is under the jawline, you could try a stretching experiment. When we speak of stretching, it's only partly about actually stretching; it's mostly about moving. For example, try placing the heel of the right hand just above the right jawline and push it up. You will find that you've moved that under-the-jaw trouble spot to the top of the jaw where a left handed up/diagonal stroke will clean it up easily. Watch the angle and pressure, of course.

Another possibility is that your razor is in need of a touchup. A blade that is not quite as sharp/smooth as it should be will often make us unconciously apply more pressure than we should. Couple that with a bad angle on those difficult to reach spots and you have a recipe for irritation.



rs,
Tack

+1 to stretching!

Without good stretching and keeping the skin taught, you can end up with a patchy shave!

I had a lot of skin irritation, too, when I started 5 months ago, especially on my neck. Part of the problem was too much pressure, too steep an angle. But I also switched to a cold water shave and my face isn't nearly as sensitive afterward. IF you think your blade is in good shape, I'd focus on the pressure and angle. Don't be afraid to try different things until you figure out what works for you. Doing the same thing and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.

Do they appear to be small raised areas of your skin or actual pieces of skin half cut away? If it's the first then I may have an answer. When I first started using a str8 I would rinse the lather off the blade with hot running water. Of course when first using a str8 it's normal to feel a little irritation so all seemed normal. As my technique improved and my shaves got much better I would still notice some skin irritation in very small area with no specific reason why. One day I noticed that after rinsing the blade I made the next stroke and it hurt when it first touched my skin. Bingo I was burning my skin with a hot blade edge. So I changed to using cold running water and problem solved.

Originally Posted by Brenngun

Do they appear to be small raised areas of your skin or actual pieces of skin half cut away? If it's the first then I may have an answer. When I first started using a str8 I would rinse the lather off the blade with hot running water. Of course when first using a str8 it's normal to feel a little irritation so all seemed normal. As my technique improved and my shaves got much better I would still notice some skin irritation in very small area with no specific reason why. One day I noticed that after rinsing the blade I made the next stroke and it hurt when it first touched my skin. Bingo I was burning my skin with a hot blade edge. So I changed to using cold running water and problem solved.

I usually rinse with luke warm water. The skin almost looks like hair coming out of each follicle. It almost appears that the hair is removed and replaced with skin...very strange. I'll see if I can capture a pic next time I shave.

Originally Posted by Onegrecook

My face isn't red, no razor burn, but if I touch it, those little skin bits hurt. It almost looks like blonde stubble.

If the issue was a poor/chipped edge or technique related your skin would be visibly red and raw.

I'm thinking it could be more along the lines of very dry skin or even eczema. Also possibly an allergic reaction to the products you're using.

When all else fails see a dermatologist. It does sound like a product allergy and pressure problem. I have Rosacea and it's irritated by menthol and eucalyptus, two very popular products in soaps and creams. You need to read the ingredients of all the soaps/creams you use and see what might be a problem for your skin.

pseudofolliculitis barbae ??? Was browsing my local Pharmacy shelf in the shaving section and ran across a product called Bump Stopper 2. Here's a link to the product. This could be your issue. If you google search this condition you'll find an amazing amount of info.

Bump Stopper-2 Razor Bump Treatment Cream | Walgreens

https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=cr#q=p...culitis+barbae