Dear Richard,
Thank-you for your enquiry. Many male clients suffer with this issue, and nine times out of ten, it comes down to the products they are using. Most men seem to shave with soaps and foams that are very alkaline, which dry out the skin causing irritation, and often result in ingrown hairs as well. What happens when we shave with harsh products, is that we strip the skin of all its natural oils and it’s protective barrier, and we then proceed to also remove quite a few layers of skin cells as we shave, leaving the skin in a bit of a “crisis mode”.
I would suggest something like a shaving oil, which is much less harmful to the skin. It is also important that you exfoliate once or twice a week with a enzymatic exfoliator to assist in gently removing the build up of dead skin cells, and gently conditioning the skin, which will help to prevent ingrown hairs, and uneven texture. It is also important (after shaving), to restore the skin’s barrier function as quickly as possible, so a barrier repair cream is advisable.
Very importantly, do not forget to protect your skin with a good sunblock after applying your barrier repair cream. The sensitivity caused by shaving and shaving rash, is an invitation to unwanted pigmentation! You will see many guys walking around with what looks like a ‘shadow’ over their beard area. This happens because the skin on that area has actually pigmented and become much darker than the rest of the normal skin, and in some cases the pigmentation is uneven and blotchy and unsightly. So a good facial sunblock applied DAILY is essential.
