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I shaved last week and on the atg pass under the chin, there was some abrasion, about a day later i Had like sores on my chin and other areas where i shave.
Apparently i'd spread / inflamed/infected a cold sore over my face through shaving, although i haven't had an actual cold sore in ages.
Any ideas as to how/why this happened?
the doc has told me to not go atg.
I wasn't sure about what to use for the title.
I guess anything is possible but to tell you the truth I've never seen a post here about someone spreading or getting an infection from a straight. I think there was a post on another site about someone supposedly getting some condition from shaving.
it might just be the abrasion caused some really bad irritation or reaction of some kind. Are you sure its all infected?
are you sure its not just razor burn?
but umm.. yeah.. you might want to sanitize your razors and take a break from shaving while that clears up.
A zoster generally appears in the mucosal areas like the mouth, naries, eyes, and “other areas”. If you have multiple bumps that look like acne it’s likely PFB. (Pseudofolliculitis barbae) Your doc is right on the money! No more shaving ATG.
Are you sure it was a cold sore that was spread? I'm no Dr. but don't cold sores only spread from one host to another or one spot to another only through direct contact with an open sore? I am pretty sure that is correct. It sounds more like severe dermatitis due to razor burn/skin sensitivity.? Just a thought.Quote:
Originally Posted by GhostRida
Maybe it didn't "spread" the cold sore, but shaving may have irritated your skin enough around your mouth/nose to anger/wake the dormant virus causing an independent flare up?
Chris L
I wonder if an alum block would be effective in preventing such spreading as it does have antiseptic properties. I know I don't get *any* zits from shaving anymore since I started using an alum block after every shave. But then again, zits = bacteria, and Herpes-Zoster = virus.
I am no expert, but I am pretty sure Herpetic sores can be spread to different spots on the mouth. Unfortunately, the Herpes on the mouth can be spread to other areas as well. For example, a child born with a herpetic lesion on the mouth can suck his thumb and cause a lesion to form there.
This is too much science I agree with the person who said to not shave ATG, and you should listen to your doc because he can see the lesions. Google also has good pics of these type lesions. Personally, when I get razors, I soak them in bleach and alcohol each for 15 minutes and do the same after I use them so that they are clean when I sell them to others.
Good Luck!
Those sores could have been a common staph aureus skin infection which was spread by your razor cutting into it. My old barber manual advises barbers NOT to shave someone with an infection on their face, due to the risk of spreading it. It also could spread to other customers, if the razor was not properly disinfected. My best advice is to stop shaving that area until it heals, and to use lots of soap, hot water, and an antibiotic ointment on the area. My .02.
I'm not a fan of bleach for razor disinfection, as it will rapidly corrode carbon steel and even will corrode "stainless" steel surgical instruments. Alcohol will help to dissipate the bleach but it will have little impact as a viricide.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Croaker
Nothing normal or healthy about a pathogenic strain of Staph aureus...
I've not shaved since, will prob do so today.
It was definitely cold sore type sores, but yeah i'll give atg a miss.
I've been using that razor for months, it wasn't a new one.
Acually, is it quite normal to have them living on your skin. Even MRSA (multi or methicillin resistant Staph aureus) is found often on skin. They're not a problem for healthy people, it's when your immunity system decreases that the Staph can become problematic if it gets into your system.Quote:
Originally Posted by BKratchmer
Oh, certainly. But if you have lesions/inflammation because of S. aureus, it's a problem. There is a big difference between having something as part of the microbiota, and having it become infectious.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zwaplat
LOL! For it to be a staph infection GhostRida'd most likely be immunocompromised and unless he works in a hospital or a nursing home I don't think he'll have to worry about MRSA playing a role in it as well. It's a CDC reportable and thankfully it's not that prevalant in society as of yet.
Gost... if it's a staph infection it will still be there in a weeks time and will most likely spread topically. If it is still there in a week go and see your primary care doc and let him do a culture and sensitivity to see what it grows.
If it's, God forbid, MRSA the same steps above will catch it as well. Either way dude, don't worry about it. If it's PFB you should have small white pustules by now where you shaved ATG. You can either bust the pustules with a toothbrush by rubbing in circular motions or just shave them off.
LOL! We're getting as bad as WebMB.:rofl2:
Try this to see if it helps. I had the same problem and I found out that by stretching to much I was shaving to closely. Put hot water into a cup and add about 2 teaspoons of Epsom salts and stir well. Put a washcloth into the cup and wring it out a little and then put it on a plate and microwave a little, not to hot. Soak your face for about 10 minutes and heat the cloth as needed. You will be amazed how your face will be the very next morning.
Take Care,
Richard
This is an excellent idea Richard!Quote:
Originally Posted by riooso
According to medical manuals I have, ethanol or isopropanol at 60-90% effectiveness is effective against a number of viruses including HBV HBC and HIV. It is not effective against spore forming bacteria (e.g. anthrax).Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
^^ Right. Pure alcohols will denature the proteins that make up the coat of a virus, and often times the genetic material inside as well. (Without a capsule, it is awfully hard to keep DNA or RNA safe).
Spore forming bacteria are tough, as these spores can sometimes survive autoclaving! (Super frustrating, believe me...) Fortunately these are rarely species we have on our faces, mostly soil living. (For example, the bacillus that causes botulism, Clostridium, is largely spread as spores. In fact, there are a huge number of them in honey!)
Hmmm....getting scary in here! Anthrax infection on the face? (mortality about 100%) Where does anthrax come from? Why, the very cowhide and horsehide we make strops out of! ( source of information: I once worked in a biowarfare lab in Maryland where antrax was being studied) Fortunately it is extremely rare, except in places like Anthrax Island, just off the coast of England. A WW2 experiment gone far awry, and it is still under military quarantine)
Cheers!
like bkratchmer said alcohol will suffice
I don't thinki you can get an infection unless you're using an unsanitized razor.
Believe what you want. If you want to believe that alcohol will kill all viruses, that's up to you. Of course, you might want to consider the concentration of the alcohol, as that makes a difference. You might want to consider the particular virus, whether it is a lipid or non-lipid virus, as that makes a difference. Finally, you might want to consider the hydration state of the virus before the testing was done, as that also makes a difference.
I will continue to disinfect any blade that comes to me, whether or not it was already supposedly disinfected by someone else.
Interesting! I remember reading the James Herriot books (veterinarian stories) as a kid and how often he used Epsom salts on animals for various afflictions!Quote:
Originally Posted by riooso
Anthrax skin infections are actually not deadly, as I have seen quite a few. They can be treated with Teracylines or any number of Penicillins. However, inhaled Anthrax is deadly (95% of the time if untreated and 75% if treated (recognized via chest x-ray). It actually found in Africa a lot as well and in Lime pits where there is water. As for the MRSA, where I work approximately 25% of the staph skin infections are MRSA. It is now treated as the rule if the infection is severe, not as NON-MRSA. THe good news is it is treatable, but I highly doubt there is any reason to worry about getting it form shaving. As for sterilizing, I use bleach and alcohol and follow up with tap and distilled water. The best way to sterilize anything metal though is an autoclave because that is the only sure way to kill most spores. In fact only Prion Diseases (ie Mad Cow, Cruetzfeld-Jacob, Kuru etc) can survive autoclaving.
I do agree with the person above who said we are all worse than WebMD. All info here could be taken as B. S. butI try to be accurate as I hope to treat these things some day.
In an attempt to get back on topic...Quote:
Originally Posted by GhostRida
Some people have skin that just cannot handle ATG. In the few barber's manuals I have read, they suggested that the barber not do an ATG pass unless the customer specifically requested it. You may have not spread anything other than irritated skin. I have a region on one side of my neck that has hairs that all point up while the hairs on the rest of my neck all point down. Since my face spends most days covered by a mask anyway, and because I am married:), I usually do just a single WTG pass and if I am in a rush I shave my neck with just downward strokes. This occasionally leads to small patches of irritation for a few hours but it never occurs on days when I take the time to do upward strokes, which are WTG, for that area.
It's possible that your face cannot handle the ATG pass, as your physician has indicated. In other words, this may be nothing more than a case of "Doc, it hurts when I do this."..."Then stop doing that!"
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