Thread: Tiny White Zits

Could be blocked pores, Try this:

• Rinse with warm water between passes to get the gunk of the face
• After shaving
  
  • Rinse with warm water to clean the pores
  • Rinse well with (ice)cold water to close the pores
  • (optional) apply alum all over the shaven area, leave it for a few minutes and rinse with cold water again
  • Do your usual after-shave ritual(balm, after shave, eau de cologne etc.)

It should keep the pores gunk-free and thus irritation free. This is my after shave ritual, but I never had zits after shaving. As always: YMMV

Good luck!

Are you doing loads of passes over the same area? Or doing an ATG pass?

I find that this can really break up the surface of the skin which might also be a contributory factor.

bam42685;

What you are describing sounds like a classic case of "pseudo folliculitis".

This is a condition where after shaving the hair decides not to grow properly out of its own follicle, but deviates slightly and grows through the skin instead. This causes irritation, redness and (in some cases) the tiny pimples that accompany the local irritation. When the hair finally grows through properly the skin heals itself (usually within a day or so) and all is normal again.

Of course, in some cases, the hair does not break through the skin but grows underneath it (ingrown hair) which can really be annoying.

I suffer from the same, exact problem on my chin and have never been able to shave with a blade in that area without ending up with the same annoyance. As a result, I shave most of my face with a straight and save the chin for an electric razor (oh for shame! )

The best way to fight the condition is to NOT shave close in the problem areas. In other words, don't go for a BBS finish there, but rather the opposite. For example, shave only with the grain and never against it, do only one pass instead of two, etc. Waiting a few days between shaves until the skin recovers is also a plus since you don't want to annoy the area so much with repeated shaves that the area becomes infected.

As BrickBag recommends, good preparation can help a lot and I would also add that cleanliness of hands, sink, razor and associated accessories can only be seen as a plus.

Sometimes a good aftershave balm will help reduce the condition. If the annoyance is severe you might even need to consult a dermatologist.

I provide a link to a more complete page of information: Pseudofolliculitis barbae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hope this helps.

- Ignatz

Originally Posted by ignatz

bam42685;

What you are describing sounds like a classic case of "pseudo folliculitis".

This is a condition where after shaving the hair decides not to grow properly out of its own follicle, but deviates slightly and grows through the skin instead. This causes irritation, redness and (in some cases) the tiny pimples that accompany the local irritation. When the hair finally grows through properly the skin heals itself (usually within a day or so) and all is normal again.

Of course, in some cases, the hair does not break through the skin but grows underneath it (ingrown hair) which can really be annoying.

I suffer from the same, exact problem on my chin and have never been able to shave with a blade in that area without ending up with the same annoyance. As a result, I shave most of my face with a straight and save the chin for an electric razor (oh for shame! )

The best way to fight the condition is to NOT shave close in the problem areas. In other words, don't go for a BBS finish there, but rather the opposite. For example, shave only with the grain and never against it, do only one pass instead of two, etc. Waiting a few days between shaves until the skin recovers is also a plus since you don't want to annoy the area so much with repeated shaves that the area becomes infected.

As BrickBag recommends, good preparation can help a lot and I would also add that cleanliness of hands, sink, razor and associated accessories can only be seen as a plus.

Sometimes a good aftershave balm will help reduce the condition. If the annoyance is severe you might even need to consult a dermatologist.

I provide a link to a more complete page of information: Pseudofolliculitis barbae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hope this helps.

- Ignatz

Wow! That was a great help! I have had the same thing going on with my chin when I go ATG. I would get these little white pimples only when I go ATG. It makes sense that in the chin area, the hairs would have a little hard time coming back out. Thank you for the help! I have been wondering about that for a long time.

... Or perhabs to much pressure?
In the begining of my DE adventure, some 3 years ago, i aplied to much pressure, and the same thing happened to me. White little pimples. No pressure, and they were all gone!!

Hope you find the solution to your problem!!