Bellevue Acne Clinic
Proper Technique for Shaving your Face
Most people with acne should try to minimize irritants on their skin. One example of an irritant is daily shaving. This can be difficult for men to avoid, as most men must shave their face regularly.
In addition to causing irritation, shaving can also lead to cuts and infection. Shaving over an active pimple can cause bleeding, poor healing, and scarring. Also, the cosmetic products used in shaving can be quite harsh.
Proper shaving technique requires five ingredients.
1. A high quality multi-blade razor (Mach 3 is just one example).
2. Shaving gel optimized for acne – Aveeno therapeutic shave gel
3. Aftershave
4. Moisturizer
5. Patience!!
We divide the face into the mid-face and the low-face. The mid-face includes the chin, nose and sideburns. The low face includes everything below your jawline (e.g., Adam's apple). The division line between the two is the jawline.
Begin with a wet face. The best time to shave is right after a shower. Apply a liberal amount of the shave gel to your face, and wait a few minutes for the whiskers to soften.
Grab your razor, and start SLOWLY shaving down your face. Start at the sideburns and shave down to the jawline, then stop. Rinse your blade with warm (not hot) water. Do not make multiple passes over the same spot. Place the razor next to the strip already shaved, aiming for about 20% overlap. Again, shave down slowly, stopping at the jawline to rinse and repeat.
After you finish shaving your mid-face, shave the low face. Start at the bottom-most part of your beard, and shave UP to the jawline. Repeat as before.
At the end of this, you will have a reasonably smooth face, and you should have only passed a razor over each part of your beard once. This should suffice for most days. If you need an extra-close shave, you may repeat this process, shaving in the opposite direction (i.e., shaving the mid-face in an upward direction, and the low-face in an downward direction).
After shaving, rinse your face with warm water. Do a final rinse with cool water to close the pores. Apply an anti-bacterial shave gel. This product should not contain alcohol or witch hazel or menthol. The preferred product is a prescription gel called clindamycin. After applying aftershave, apply moisturizer.
Common pitfalls to avoid!
1. Shaving too quickly. Be patient!
2. Shaving each area several times. This is a technique we learned from our fathers, but is sub-optimal for men with acne. Doing one pass is sufficient for most days at the office or school.
Remember, proper shaving technique is key to promoting healthy skin and healing your acne.
