leaving scars nicking yourself?

I dont usually nick myself. In fact i would say i do it about once every year or so. I have one scar already to the side of my mouth from nicking myself a couple years ago. I just nicked myself this morning on my chin pretty bad. Its going to leave a scar. It took me an hour to stop the bleeding with a styptic pencil. I knew that my razor needed honing and i tried to get one more extra shave out of it before doing so. That was a bad idea. Plus i was also rushing.

So my remedy for next time is just to hone the razor and not attempt to get an extra shave out of it. I know that is the first line of defense.

However that brings me to a major concern. Lets say 2 years from now i stupidly do it again and nick myself bad to the point of leaving another scar. Is there a way to stop the scars from occurring? I was thinking of a butterfly bandage, but the distance between the gap is not really that big. My usually remedy to fix a nasty nick is to go back and forth between something to mop up the blood and stab it with a styptic pencil a thousand times until it stops bleeding. But now i am wondering while this method stops the bleeding fast, maybe it is actually causing a larger gap than just sticking a band aid on it?

I can tell you that i never nick myself when my razor is sharp. It seems like it is always when its not up to par.

Some people’s skin scars easily. There are some oils you can buy to reduce the scar and promote the healing. Every little scratch leaves a scar on my skin. At my age I don’t care for those that do care there is things like bio-oil, and I suppose the skin places will know and have better treatments.

A nick is a pain at times. Shaving over/around a healing one is aggravating as well.
I have had best luck with Neosporin to promote fast healing without scarring.

Indeed, a sharp razor with low angle is the best way to avoid this.

Neosporin /triple antibiotic creams work for me with any cuts for healing best. But, unless your really doing damage to your face, id not worry about a little scar. Do the best you can to fix it and know you did.
I feel scars dont mater much after your over 50 so i dont worry about them. But shavi g around them or not shaving for a few days does take the fun out of it.

im 31, so scars on my face still effect and worry me.

I can try Neosporin, but i thought that was mainly a triple A ointment for avoiding infections, not scarring.

Thanks i didnt think of oils. I can check out those to see if there is anything like that.

You don't wanna die without any scars,

I got plenty, also in my face due to my previous job and was always told to rub some dirt on it (don't do that)

Chicks dig it, if you're really that worried see a dermatologist she can recommend you creams and maybe a silicone gel, although for a shaving cut the silicone is more overkill than anything else.

Shaving cuts are clean nice cuts that leave a nice scar, don't sweat it


I have had a few scars surgically repaired by a plastic surgeon.

Instructions immediately after surgery: keep it dry, free of dirt and I dabbed over it with an anti-infectious, antiseptic and disinfectant liquid a few times per day

After stitches are removed: I was given La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 and she also recommended a Kelo-Cote Silicone gel, although that was more optional.
Another thing was a good sunscreen, otherwise your scar can discolor

I'm also 30 and I couldn't care less about how I look anymore, I'm an ugly mofo anyway :D

Neosporin or polysporin with both heal wounds with minimal scarring and maybe a bandaid across the wound to keep it closed for a day.
All of my shaving scars have disappeared after about 6 months.

My buddy scraped his face pretty good when we kids after crashing the neighbors moped, while trying to wheelie it. His mom got some vitamin E and it cleared it right up with no scarring. Can’t quite remember what kind but I do remember him having to refrigerate it otherwise it supposedly would have gone bad. I think she found it at a holistic store of sorts.

I filleted myself one day shaving with a straight that had a little nick in it. I told myself before the shave, I would fix it right afterwards, shouldn’t have waited. I removed a piece of skin. When it happened I immediately thought, that’s gonna bleed. And boy, did it. That bastard left a scar, it’s a good reminder not to be lazy. I have nicked myself twice otherwise right at the ear in almost the exact same spot with my favorite spike, no scars there though, both bled pretty well but clotted up with a little styptic.

Scars are just reminders of a life well lived.

Low angles and a sharp razor indeed work well. The other day I failed on the former and put a 1/16"+ deep cut into an old bit of scar tissue on the edge of my lower lip. Thanks to the wonderfully sharp razor, the sucker bled at most 2 full drops before sealing on its own, allowing me to finish up the shave without a hitch.

So that's the benefit of a sharp razor (and a reminder for me not to rush my shaves). Also, it really helps to have great "brakes" as soon as you feel the unfortunate bite of a razor.

I lost my styptic pencil so typically just stick a small bandage over a cut that won't stop bleeding, and I've only had one gash that left a significant scar.

Maybe your stretching isn't up to par, low angles and tight skin, is the remedy for cuts while shaving. As to scars, 18 years old or 70 , men get scars it's part of living. Your too damn vain if this is bothering you. Tc

Scar consists of a different type of tissue than your regular skin. Some people react, create, more visible scars with the extreme being keloid in people of African descent.
Antibiotics etc wont affect scar formation unless we are dealing with an infected wound. The reason for that is that antibiotics are just that, they kill bacteria but they play no role in scar formation or tissue healing.
The best you can do if the cut is long/wide is to use a steristrip to attach the edges as close as possible. That will allow the cut to heal with a very thin scar and not as visible.

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Originally Posted by alex1921

The best you can do if the cut is long/wide is to use a steristrip to attach the edges as close as possible. That will allow the cut to heal with a very thin scar and not as visible.

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Ah yes, my plastic surgeon also had me use steristrips

I had my first serious cut in almost eight years of straight shaving early this summer. Long story short: I had had two alcoholic drinks, but figured I was still good to shave. I wasn't. Two seconds of not paying attention gave me a nice cut next to the corner of my mouth.

Lots of tissue paper, pressure and super glue later, it's a minor scar, partially covered by my moustache. I kept stretching the skin around it regularly for weeks to prevent it from healing too fast; a thing I remember they advised my brother to do when he had third degree burns on his hand. The slower a wound heals, the less it scars.

Tl;dr: Remember to stretch. Don't drink and shave. Or eat something first, at least :p

Good advise, super glue works a treat, my guys love it, cause without it I get out my fishing line and needle and apply their stitches. Tc

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Originally Posted by tcrideshd

As to scars, 18 years old or 70 , men get scars it's part of living. Your too damn vain if this is bothering you. Tc

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Its not like im sitting here frantically worrying about my scars and putting cover-up make-up on. I just want to know the best approach to avoiding a scar during the process. If i am already stopping the bleeding and can do one more step to limit the scar, its absurd not to do it just because of the notion of people getting scars is natural.


thanks for the name of steristrips. I didnt even know about them. Never been in surgery before. Ill have to go buy some later for when i slash myself again.

A few recommendations for you:

Stretch the skin and shave with short and LIGHT strokes. It's a whisker removal program, re-lather and go for another pass if the shave isn't quite there.

Check yourself. I've been honing for quite a while and just to check myself I did a razor swap with a gentleman who I figured was a good honer. His edges were good as were mine that he tried. Don't trade with someone who will blow smoke up your tail, trade out with someone who will shoot you "straight".

Slow down. If you are in a hurry, go to the double edge. I've learned my lessons on trying to rush a straight shave, you can't.

Soaps and Creams: Cushion and slipperiness are key...that razor must slide over the skin. Use a quality shave soap/cream

A trick I learned WAY back. Go to a pet store and find a "nick" powder. It's usually by the clippers. If alum won't stop a bleeder, this is where it's at. Mine is called "Quick Blood Stopper". I think it's just powdered styptic.

Best of luck to you, man up, own it! If all you experience is smooth sailing, how can you appreciate the calm after the storm?

Like TC said, Super glue works a treat clean and dry the area make sure you don't glue your hands to your face seriously, only last week my Dog cut his pad on some glass I used Superglue to close it.

Mom always made butterfly bandages fir all my nasty cuts. As good as stitches IMO. PLENT O SCARS...Lve um all. Great story tellers.!

My son asked me what was the best way to get a really cool facial scar because chicks dig em. I told him he was a moron and to go away. The good news is that he is still pretty scared of the straight razors.

He wants facial scars, go to biker bars and act like your tough. Problem solved. Tc

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Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Good advise, super glue works a treat, my guys love it, cause without it I get out my fishing line and needle and apply their stitches. Tc

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Originally Posted by celticcrusader

Like TC said, Super glue works a treat clean and dry the area make sure you don't glue your hands to your face seriously, only last week my Dog cut his pad on some glass I used Superglue to close it.

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Yup, super glue was discovered by accident as a alternative to stitches on cuts and wounds in WW1 and WW2.

Hardest part is closing a laceration without glueing your "pinching" fingers. I keep fresh CA in my first aid kit in the shop. Reminds me, I need to rotate it out.

Got to remember to get the quick set glue too, One day I got the wrong tube, had to hold on to that cut for 15 minutes. Tc

so here is the issue regarding this. After a few days i found out that i just didnt make a clean slice in a straight line by accidentally hitting the scab and breaking it off. It started bleeding like a son of a bitch again. I somehow cut an upside down U shape. It must of sliced in at an angle and cut the edges somehow. So after a few days the skin died and shriveled and fell off. Now its a wound a good 1/2 inch long by 3/16 thick. Its not thin by any means. There is no pinching it back together either because its basically a crater of missing skin. I guess at this point there is not really anything to even do to avoid a scar.

When you lather, take your finger and clear theclather from around nicks, scabs, and zits, to make them more obvious so you do not run them over while shaving. I cut off a scab/welt from a duct interaction. It was unpleasant as well. Looked bad until it healed. It just joined all the other scars on my face. None of them are big but they have company. It all started at about nine when I went through a freshly cleaned storm door window.

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Originally Posted by RezDog

When you lather, take your finger and clear theclather from around nicks, scabs, and zits, to make them more obvious so you do not run them over while shaving. I cut off a scab/welt from a duct interaction. It was unpleasant as well. Looked bad until it healed. It just joined all the other scars on my face. None of them are big but they have company. It all started at about nine when I went through a freshly cleaned storm door window.

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I did the same thing as a kid. Ice cream man was coming down the back alley and I ran to catch him. Slipped on the step and missed the door handle. Head first right through the storm door. Babysitter panicked and gave me some aspirin and told me to go take a nap.

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Originally Posted by metulburr

I dont usually nick myself. In fact i would say i do it about once every year or so. I have one scar already to the side of my mouth from nicking myself a couple years ago. I just nicked myself this morning on my chin pretty bad. Its going to leave a scar. It took me an hour to stop the bleeding with a styptic pencil. I knew that my razor needed honing and i tried to get one more extra shave out of it before doing so. That was a bad idea. Plus i was also rushing.

So my remedy for next time is just to hone the razor and not attempt to get an extra shave out of it. I know that is the first line of defense.

However that brings me to a major concern. Lets say 2 years from now i stupidly do it again and nick myself bad to the point of leaving another scar. Is there a way to stop the scars from occurring? I was thinking of a butterfly bandage, but the distance between the gap is not really that big. My usually remedy to fix a nasty nick is to go back and forth between something to mop up the blood and stab it with a styptic pencil a thousand times until it stops bleeding. But now i am wondering while this method stops the bleeding fast, maybe it is actually causing a larger gap than just sticking a band aid on it?

I can tell you that i never nick myself when my razor is sharp. It seems like it is always when its not up to par.

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there is no way to guarantee that, but there are a few things you can do to minimize the risk of a scare:
treat it fast to stop the bleeding, I suggest Yunnan Baiyao, it comes in a few different forms all can be broken down to powder , rub very little powder on the cut, apply a little pressure as you rub it around the cut, and the bleeding will stop , there should also be less pain, then every day rub the area to keep the blood flowing and that will aid in the healing process and lessen the chance of scarring.
plan b - come up with a cool story to tell how you got the scare

Remember, chicks dig scars. haha

The scar will probably go away, though it may take a while. Lanolin is always my go to for any nick or cut. Part of the magic of lanolin is that it hydrates skin much deeper than anything else.

So its been a couple weeks. It has healed and the scab has fallen off. However there is a divot in my chin now. Large enough to where i think the blade will sometimes dig into the scar and cut into it from the scar alone. Is this a usual occurrence or worry from people whom have large scars?

I havent yet shaved since because i am worried about nicking it until i am sure it is 100% healed. Because i have nicked them again in the past. And it starts the whole process over again.

Skin stretching and holding is important to minimize the risk of cuts and nicks, this spot just makes it a little more important.

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Originally Posted by metulburr

So its been a couple weeks. It has healed and the scab has fallen off. However there is a divot in my chin now. Large enough to where i think the blade will sometimes dig into the scar and cut into it from the scar alone. Is this a usual occurrence or worry from people whom have large scars?

I havent yet shaved since because i am worried about nicking it until i am sure it is 100% healed. Because i have nicked them again in the past. And it starts the whole process over again.

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Shave it cautiously and hold taut. It may be close to a year before the divot starts to disappear