Sarasota Dermatology Blog

Skin Care Tips For Shaving

Posted on 03. Feb, 2009 by Bradley J. Abrams, D.O. in Skin Care

Caring for your skin is a new concept to a lot of men. Usually men care more for sports than they do their own skin or they think skin care is a “girly” thing to do. Therefore, men neglect their skin.

What’s interesting is that men are generally forced to shave everyday. Little do they know or realize that shaving actually helps exfoliate facial skin. Therefore, they are helping their skin every time they shave.

Here are a few skin care tips for shaving:

First, ensure you shave with a clean sharp razor. I dirty dull razor blade can actually irritate facial skin. Therefore, you should change your razor blade regularly to ensure you have a clean sharp razor.

Shave in the shower, trust me, shaving in the shower can provide a closer shave with fewer skin irritations. Generally, a steamy shower helps open your pores and plumps and softens your hair. This allows you to shave extremely close to your skin’s surface. Don’t want to shower? Soften you beard with a warm moist washcloth prior to shaving. Doing this will also help open your pores and prep your hair for a close shave.

Try and pass your razor of areas once and ensure you go in the direction of hair growth. Shaving against the grain can cause skin irritations and cause ingrown hair. If you do go against the grain always ensure the final few strokes you make with your razor are done with the grain of your hair, not against it. Shaving can influence the direction your hair will grow. Therefore, shaving with the grain on the last few strokes of a razor will help reset your hair to ensure new hair grows with the grain.

Lastly, apply a moisturizing gel or lotion to sooth and hydrate your skin. I encourage my patients to use a moisturizer with sun protection to help protect your skin from the sun’s damaging rays.

Tags: exfoliation, facials, moisturizer, shaving, Skin