Something I've never noticed

Voltstick

Voltstick

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93
Hi all,

Well I'm sitting here trying to resist the temptation to have a shave :icon_sad:
I had my last shave at 8:30pm last night so I'm due another very soon, however I've decided not to due to some irritation I've never noticed before. Right from my very first DE shave I've been doing 3 passes with the last one going against the grain. Sometimes it's worked, but sometimes it hasn't and it hasn't more than it has :)

I've had to resign myself to the fact that I just can't go against the grain on my neck at this moment in time, I feel sure in time that I will. At the moment my razor just won't cut smoothly there and it routinely "snags". I'm fine with this and have finally accepted 2 passes across the grain. It irks me though because afterwards when I run the back of my hand from my neck to my chin it always feels rough, but that's life.

What really bothers me however and is the point of this thread, is the fact that I'm experiencing some long term irritation in the corners under my bottom lip. My hair is dense in this area and the grain is hard to determine exactly. When short the hairs are sticking out straight in no real direction. Looking at it normally you can't really see the irritation except that it is slightly discoloured. If however I stretch the skin out by pushing it out from inside with my tongue it becomes very visible. Basically where each hair grows out, the skin is raised and very red. When I first started DE shaving I cut myself quite a bit in this area. This was mainly because on my across the grain pass I was going from ear to nose. Although the grain isn't overly apparent in this area of my chin, I soon discovered that the grain does actually go against that direction, so as you can imagine I was getting plenty of nicks there. Since discovering this I have now changed to a nose to ear direction. Although I don't get cut there now I'm still getting this irritation. Even now as I type it's been 24 hours and I'm still sore there, so I thought I'd give it a miss tonight and maybe even tomorrow night.
I have never noticed this before even though I've been shaving for 20 odd years. It maybe because I only ever had a once per week shave, with the grain and never stretched my skin out. Perhaps that's why I've never noticed this raised skin.

Has anybody else ever experienced this and if so what did you do?
Thanks in advance and hope it makes sense.
 
No this is well below the corner of my mouth. Perhaps I haven't described it well enough. Think of the sides of a goatee beard. The entire length of the two sides, this is the area of irritation.
 
Chrisbell I don't pull the skin whilst shaving there. I noticed the irritation whilst inspecting the area and stretching it out for a closer look. When I say I never stretched the skin out before I just meant I couldn't be bothered to because I never had a close shave and so didn't suffer any irritation there :)
I've spent all my adult life with everyday stubble. I only shaved on Sunday nights just so I'd look presentable for a Monday morning. Working in the construction industry means you don't really have to look that presentable, but I run my own business and I've got to that age now where I'd like to look clean and tidy when meeting a potential customer for the first time quoting for work.
 
Voltstick said:
Chrisbell I don't pull the skin whilst shaving there. I noticed the irritation whilst inspecting the area and stretching it out for a closer look. When I say I never stretched the skin out before I just meant I couldn't be bothered to because I never had a close shave and so didn't suffer any irritation there :)
I've spent all my adult life with everyday stubble. I only shaved on Sunday nights just so I'd look presentable for a Monday morning. Working in the construction industry means you don't really have to look that presentable, but I run my own business and I've got to that age now where I'd like to look clean and tidy when meeting a potential customer for the first time quoting for work.
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Could it be that you're getting sloppy with technique? I did after 2-3 months of DE shaving - thought I could shave without thinking what I was doing, and ended-up with irritation. I realised that I still had to pay attention to what I was doing, and, indeed I still do now, even after 16 months.
 
Well it's a possibility, although I've not even been shaving regular for a month yet. This is the only area with raised bumps. There are no ingrowing hairs that I've noticed and no cuts. Just very odd that I haven't ever noticed it before now.
 
Voltstick said:
Well it's a possibility, although I've not even been shaving regular for a month yet. This is the only area with raised bumps. There are no ingrowing hairs that I've noticed and no cuts. Just very odd that I haven't ever noticed it before now.
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Might be a reaction to something, I suppose, but I don't see why it would appear now.:huh:
 
If I'm going to get razor burn (like when I use the Cobra for several days in a row) it's just at the corner of the mouth I get it. All I can suggest is doing at least one less pass on the affected areas, pat dry very, very gently but thoroughly and then try the lightest possible touch of talcum powder.
If the area is starting to now show visible irritation I'd lay off shaving it entirely until visible signs of sensitivity die away before reintroducing a light stroke over each side in the direction which seems least atg.
I've had a couple of pals over the years who have had similar types of probs after shaving off beards they've had for some time. In their case it seems to have been caused by the combination of the whiskers being really wiry & strong, having never been shaved for some time, just trimmed; and the skin itself being really soft & sensitive where it was protected by the beards. Maybe you may be experiencing a similar effect if this is the first time for years you've been shaving closely and daily ? If it's any consolation their probs cleared up after a few weeks, hope things work out well for you as well.

JohnnyO. \:icon_razz:
 
Volstick, have you changed anything recently? New Job, new pet, new girlfriend even.

It sounds strange but allergies can occur very gently such as a pet or a new chicks perfume, and sometimes some offices use heavy air conditioning which can cause skin irritation.

I know it sounds mad, and it could be a million other factors, but thought Id thgrow it out there to see if any life changes click in your mind,

GL with it tho,

Stu
 
You may be shaving with too many passes. What you could do is shave with just one pass on the neck for a while, then 2 passes: WTG, XTG. If you shave ATG that could be what is causing the problem.

What you could try is not shaving for a few days and 'map' the direction of your beard hair. If it feels rough when you move your and over it, that is against the grain.

Also, ensure you change the blade frequently.
 
Hard to tell ,you may have superficial folliculitis. You may want to take a break from shaving, wash the area well with soap and water daily and moisturize it well after. It should clear in a couple,few days

If you have to shave just use one light pass WTG in that area and moisturize well after. Use a fresh blade if you have not changed the one you are using currently.
 
Ok, here the secret to shaving that area without experiencing any unnecessary cuts or irritation. But you're sworn to secrecy !! I won't even tell you what will happen if you tell.. AIR! You blow up the part of your face that you want to shave! Seriously it's like the wrinkles on a balloon. You adjust the tension and the spot that you're shaving.
Do a "Dry run" so to speak. Before you put your next blade in the razor, lather up and run the 'unloaded' razor over your face 'blowing up the area that your having the problem with; upper cheeks; right, left of the chin..
After you get the feel for the right tension, fire her up and cut hair!
My words of wisdom.
 
Voltstick said:
No this is well below the corner of my mouth. Perhaps I haven't described it well enough. Think of the sides of a goatee beard. The entire length of the two sides, this is the area of irritation.
Click to expand...

I have the precise same problem and no matter what I do, the red areas still remain even if I don't shave for several days. The red areas are not raised or sore but are persistant. I do a single WTG pass VERY LIGHTLY and I've tried every lotion and potion known to man to clear it. Today I plan to make an appointment to see the quack. I'll report back after I've seen him or her. Could be a day or two.
 
What blade are you using?

I've found that sharper is better, and use Feathers almost exclusively.

Every time I use another blade, it feels blunt to me, and drags more. Feathers just slice through the hair with ease, particularly on the ATG pass.

Give them a try, they're not the devils they're made out to be.

John
 
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