Thread: My dermatologist said...

I'm with Michael, I dont know if I would trust a doctor that told me I would be better off using a chemically laden gel, instead of the good natural soaps that are available(everything put on your skin is absorbed by your skin). I had problems at first with my face getting irritated from my shave cream. It is the castle and forbes for sensitive skin(lime), but when I applied it, my face would start to burn. I was building the lather on my face and thanks to some posts around here found that if the lather is not built right we can end up with un-suitable amounts of the ingredients in contact with our skin. Since switching to building my lather in a mug and getting it diluted to the proper levels before putting it to my face the irritation is gone. I also found that this shaving with cold water thing that has just started around here, works wonders with facial irritation, I cant ever see myself going back to hot shaving. For a while I couldnt tell if it was just a heat rash on my face or razor burn, now that I dont use heat, I know that it is razor burn and I dont get it anymore. Good luck finding a solution.

Originally Posted by winterkid

This morning I went to the dermatologist for something on my back. While there she asked about my razor burn. I told her I was wet shaving and used a puck and some aftershave, and sometimes some balm. She said to stop right away. What?!

According to the doc, I am now to use a gel, like Edge unscented (yuck!) and the lotion she prescribed. THe Rx is for a mixture of Loprox and Cleocin lotions. From what I found on a basic search this is antibiotic mixture. I guess she thinks my burn is minor skin infections on my neck.

I can't make myself go back to the goo of a canned gel. So that will have to wait. However, I'm willing to try the lotion for a few weeks.

My current aftershave rotation included has been Clubman Bay Rum, Vanilla and some Burt's Bees aftershave. Soaps rotation include Col. Conk and Burt's Bees.

Has anyone heard of this prescription before? What about any unscented soaps that may be out there?

Yep she thinks you have an infected razor burn (I can read minds).

I suspect she is correct about the infection but uneducated
with regard to the wealth of quality shaving soaps and more
that you have to select from.

Others have commented that ATG is a "no no" and a BBS shave goal
is likely one or 22 shaving passes too far so dial it back to a
clean enough shave.

Follow her advice for more than a week and dial back your shaving
to alternate days. For new to wet shaving folk I do recommend the
classic BiC 1 single edge tossable during the recovery period.
This is the cheapest looking one with a yellow handle and a single blade.
I recommend them because they work for me and I know
they are clean and sharp enough for a couple shaves. They
also have largish opening that makes washing soap and stubble
out easy.

Post shave, let your skin rest for 30 min after rinsing
with cool water and then apply a gentle balm, no more.
Avoid all but the most mild post shave products. Alcohol
and fragrance are problematic so avoid them...

Do take advantage of the weekend and go Don Johnson
and do not shave for a couple days if you can.

Back to wet shaving.... Most of the shave vendors have
fragrance free versions of their soaps. ClassicShaving.com
has ""Classic "Gold" Hypo-Allergenic Shaving Mug Soap""
that should be a lot better than canned goo. Try it and
if it helps keep it in a plastic kitchen container as your
safe to go soap. There are funner soaps to try but we
all need a safe goto shave solution.

In general for soaps I always try the unscented version first
and if it lathers and shaves well I explore the rest of the "flavors".
My logic is if the basic soap is good then I can risk what I call
fragrance hell with my allergies. I cannot walk in the wrong
door of Macys.... too close to the ladies stink den and my head
hurts for hours.... While my reaction is much stronger than most
my point is along the line of a canary in the coal mine.

When your face has healed cautiously change one thing
at a time and see what works for you. One .thing in three
days tells a lot.

Loprox and Cleocin tell me that she saw something real...

Once "angered" skin takes a while to heal, let it.

I agree with what Tom is saying above.
I would still recommend the witch hazel or aloe over a balm. There are too many weird ingredients you don't know in those balms and you don't know how they'll react with your skin. Witch hazel and aloe gel are simple, one ingredient products that are easy on the skin and promote healing (at least aloe does from what I've heard/read/experienced)

I find it interesting that people are encouraging someone not to listen to a doctor who has specialized in skin care. The doctor obviously saw something that bothered them.

Just because canned goo has "chemicals" in it doesn't mean it's "bad" for your face/skin - especially if what you are currently doing is causing you enough problems for a Dr. to bring it up without being asked about it first.

For the original poster - do what you think is right. Definitely use what the Dr prescribed, take it easy on the ATG, let your face/neck heal properly and then experiment.

Adam

I agree with everything thats been said here, just one more thought to throw on the pile. Do you finish your shave with a cold water rinse to close the pores? This really works for me and allows me to switch between balms and after shaves from day to day allowing me to judge if my skin is getting to dry or to moist (oily).

I have a very sensitive skin, and there are only a couple of soaps I can use without getting a really stingy irritation. Sad to say, colleens soap was one of those. Wilkinson sword was even worse.

Now I use taylor of old bond street cream, and that works like a charm. there is also 1 hard soap I got as a gift, which is smooth and not irritating. I think it was 'homme & homme'

If you have skin problems related to shaving, it could be your technique, but it could also have to do with the soap or cream you use. In that case, you just have to try different things until you find something that works.

I've not been at this long and I've got nothing new to add, but let me be another vote to give you confidence.

1. Some "Dr." are idiots who made it though med school. (Ask me about a few H.S. friends who either are, or are "almost" Dr.s now...in short they are certified idiots who are really good a memorizing what they read.)

2. ATG is a no-no. I can get away with it for a special occasion...sometimes...but even then it's like playing russian roulette

3. Pressure Pressure Pressure. Whether it's honing or shaving...P-R-E-S-S-U-R-E make more difference than all the equipment combined.

4. Col Conk I do not like. Didn't cause me "irritation" per-say but made my face feel "wrong". My favorite is still the cheap Van Der Hagen stuff from Wal-mart or Walgreens. Probably because it's what I learned on, but it (in my opinion) gives nothing up to far more expensive and classy soaps.

One last thing? Are you sure you're using a sharp enough razor

I started out with razors I honed myself....needless to say I had a lot of shaves under my belt before I ever used a razor that was truly sharp enough.

Originally Posted by akw

I find it interesting that people are encouraging someone not to listen to a doctor who has specialized in skin care. The doctor obviously saw something that bothered them.

Just because canned goo has "chemicals" in it doesn't mean it's "bad" for your face/skin - especially if what you are currently doing is causing you enough problems for a Dr. to bring it up without being asked about it first.

For the original poster - do what you think is right. Definitely use what the Dr prescribed, take it easy on the ATG, let your face/neck heal properly and then experiment.

Adam

Doctors get it wrong all the time.

I have personally suffered at the hands of doctors because I developed rare complications that are documented, but so uncommon that they told me it was "all in my head," despite having to operate on me due to its severity, just so they wouldn't have to deal with my case (or risk getting sued should I mistakenly think they caused it).

My standard of care has been compromised numerous times because of nearly every doctor's refusal to deal with my individual case.

Many doctors are also frivilous and downright stupid about how they pass out antibiotics and antibacterials, things which, with over-use, are shown to compromise your immune system and coax an immune response (i.e. allergy).

Sometimes it's ignorance. Sometimes it's them trying to cover their asses. Sometimes they just don't care.

But doctors are not perfect. They're just people. They screw up all. The. Time.

That is why it's important for you to go home and do your own research about everything. Because other human beings, no matter how advanced their degree, are sometimes wrong.

The M.D. doesn't stop them from being infected with Dumb, a pervasive human condition.

I for one think she was likely over-reacting. I don't know the OP's case or severity - only he does, so he needs to think for himself. Looking up the goo that she gave him is a good start.

And, after that, decide his course of action.

Wet shaving is not "dangerous" or "bad for your skin." Many of us have found it's the reverse. Her ignorance almost certainly plays a role in her reaction. I'd put money on it.

So, knowing her ignorance has caused the natural human reaction of fear/mistrust, he has to weigh that against her medical training, and determine how much, if it all, it has been compromised by her reacting with human misunderstanding.

Don't blindly follow your doctors. They aren't gods. This is how people wind up in endless cycles of poor treatment. Do you homework.

one quetison is where on your face you have irriation. e.g. on your neck or on he flat part of your cheeks ikely cause by very different problems. but if its on, e.g.m your neck, my biggest tip is to vary your shave routine by parts of your face - its not one size fits all. some parts of your face can handle more passes, and more "rotated" (with the grain being at one end of the rotation and against the grain being at the other) passes. also: dermotologists looove to solve problems with meds. did they go to ed school to prescribe a differetn razor or shaving technique? nope.

Just to add in, canned foam is probably rather sterile. While a puck and brush is exposed to the air constantly and wet or humid for quite awhile.
If the razor opens skin enough to cause small infections maybe some barbicide?