Shave that beard! – Skin care before and after shavings published in Kosmetik International 2013 (8), 12-15 There are many ways to get rid of unwanted hair on various parts of the body. How does the skin react to the different techniques? What can be done to avoid or sooth irritations? lready in ancient times people used to are advantageous insofar as they can be uni- remove their body hair. Nowadays as versally enriched with additives: A hygiene plays a significant part in our lives, hairless skin still is in vogue – with • Algae extract, allantoin, aloe vera and women but also with men. People of different chamomile extract for instance sooth the cultures and religions as e.g. the Islam per- skin. ceive underarm and pubic hairs as impure. • Bisabolol (active agent of chamomile), Only the male beard, well-trimmed and salicylic acid, berberine, boswellia (frank- groomed, is excluded from the ideal of beauty incense resin) inhibit inflammations. of a hair-free body. Apart from that, also the • Vegetable oils such as the oils of linseed, so-called stronger sex is convinced that the kiwi seed and evening primrose excel by stubbles need to come off. their particularly high content of essential Hair removal methods are epilation or depila- fatty acids. Aqueous nanodispersions of tion and the different techniques are e.g. wax- the oils are easy to process, have anti-in- ing, sugaring, manual plucking, epilators or flammatory effects and are not greasy on IPL- and laser devices. Chemical hair removal the skin. works with creams which may contain thiogly- • Tannins, extracts of witch hazel, horsetail colic acid for instance. The acid breaks the and tea as well as aluminium salts (alum, peptide bridges of the hair structure. By far the aluminium chloride) have astringent effects most common method is shaving, either with and can reliably close micro lesions. the razor, wet shaving devices or the electric • The vitamins B, E or pre-stages of vitamins dry razor. such as D-panthenol accelerate recovery processes. A question of acceptance Besides water, the gel bases consist of highly Dry shaving certainly is the simplest shaving molecular substances such as xanthan, alginic method. Most of the men however reject this acid and CM-glucan (polysaccharide) and technique because the skin does not feel as hyaluronic acid. They hydrate the skin – in smooth as after a wet shaving. Dry shavings contrast to film-forming substances such as require minimal preparation; either the dry carbomers (acrylates) and their salts. A pre- razor is directly used or the skin is rinsed with treatment before wet shaving smoothes the cold water and dried before shaving. Alterna- skin and avoids injuries caused by the sharp tively alcohol-containing pre-shaves can be blades. Micro lesions cannot be completely applied which are enhanced with lubricants. In excluded though. sensorial aspect, it comes closer to a wet The after-treatment with astringent substances shaving. avoids bleedings while soothing and anti-in- flammatory components quickly get irritations Shaving soaps & gels under control. D-panthenol accelerates the recovery by improving the cell proliferation. Wet shavings still require shaving creams re- spectively shaving soaps that are frothed with Aftershaves water or also finished foams out of cans. They mostly consist of the potassium or sodium Popular are disinfecting aftershaves with high soaps of long-chained fatty acids and more- alcohol content and possibly fragrant essential over contain skin soothing and smoothing oils. oils. In the case of sensitive skin however cau- Also gels with a light fattening characteristic tion is recommended as highly concentrated are used before and after the shaving. Gels alcohol may have counterproductive effects Kosmetik Konzept KOKO GmbH & Co.KG • D-42799 Leichlingen • Moltkestr. 25 • www.dermaviduals.com • Seite 1 von 3 Shave that beard! – Skin care before and after shavings page 2 of 3 when applied over a longer period of time. The In the case of problem skin essential oils may contain allergenic compo- nents. In the case that the skin barrier already Things could become difficult if the areas to be is irritated by the previously used shaving soap shaved and particularly the facial and neck and becomes permeable, alcohol denat (INCI) areas show cornification disorders such as neither is an appropriate aftershave compo- acne whereby the sebum glands are affected. nent since it contains plasticizers such as di- In these cases an accompanying anti-come- ethyl phthalate (phthalic acid diethyl ester). dogenic treatment is required. Barrier creams with natural components of the Lotions or modular systems containing essen- skin are the better alternative for sensitive skin. tial fatty acids such as linoleic acid, alpha and After the shaving, underarm, pubic and buttock gamma linolenic acid in liposomal or nanodis- areas frequently are irritated since the cush- perse form have proved to be efficient with ioning feature of the hairs is missing and the consistent application. It is recommended us- skin to skin friction accordingly is increased. ing the products in the evening. This also ap- Occlusive situations are bound to occur. Sweat plies for vitamin A containing products since and skin fats are not adequately eliminated. the sensitive ingredients become less active Irritations are pre-programmed in the case of when they are exposed to sunlight. By con- tightly fitting clothing. In this specific instance trast, lotions containing frankincense resin antiseptic powders and light clothing are bene- (anti-irritant) and azelaic acid (antimicrobial) ficial. can also be applied during the day. Popular also is the depilation on thighs respec- In this particular case, fatty skin care creams tively the bikini area. This also can happen are not needed after the shaving as they would involuntarily as for instance if persons are hos- do more harm than good. The sebum glands pitalized for abdominal surgery and the sur- usually produce enough lipids. The same ac- rounding hairs have to be removed. Particular tive agents can be used on the skin prone to caution is recommended in these cases since perioral dermatitis or rosacea. The most effec- consecutive infects on the insides of the thighs tive instruments though are pure sera without triggered by bacteria and fungi are a common lipid substances or additives. Skin care creams symptom. should be sparsely used as the topical fatty It is recommended to apply antiseptic aqueous films facilitate the growth of anaerobic bacteria. solutions containing polyhexanide (PHMB) or octenidine before and after the shaving. Low Uncomplicated areas dosed pharmaceutical aluminium chloride or aluminium sulfate (alum) solutions can also be Although breast, back, legs and arm shavings beneficial since they denaturize the proteins of take their time due to the large areas to be the microorganisms and close micro lesions, done, they are rather uncomplicated regarding as already described above. Solutions with the provisions before and the care after the high proof alcohol or isopropyl alcohol are less shavings. The reason is that the skin in these appropriate. areas is far more resilient. In a general sense though, the same considerations apply as for Perspiration the more sensitive areas of the skin. After hot wax or sugar epilations the same As already mentioned, perspiration after the aspects apply as after shavings. Depending on shaving can become a problem. If there are no the skin type or the particular skin areas also hairs in the armpits or in the pubic area, the appropriate lotions with water- or gel-like con- skin already feels relatively moist under normal sistency can be used. Occlusive conditions conditions while remaining hairs transmit a dry that cause redundant swellings of the skin sensation. Sweat evaporation inevitably slows should also be avoided in these cases. down due to the considerably smaller surface. Consequently, a deodorant needs to be ap- Watch out: bacteria! plied much earlier so as to avoid sweat stains on T-shirts and blouses. In this respect, mild Beyond that, it is recommended to stay away creamy products should be preferred in order from potential sources of infection such as to prevent irritations on the possibly public baths or similar institutions, at least for neighbouring mucus membranes. Hence, be- one day. Since hairs provide a certain protec- sides antiperspirant and antiseptic active tion against sun radiation, extended sun expo- agents, also barrier active components are sure should also be avoided after an extensive required in deodorant products. Appropriate hair removal. are non-irritating preparations without emulsifi- The IPL based epilation stimulates the melanin ers. formation. Potential eye-catching spots related to such treatments can be almost excluded by Kosmetik Konzept KOKO GmbH & Co.KG • D-42799 Leichlingen • Moltkestr. 25 • www.dermaviduals.com • page 2 of 3 Shave that beard! – Skin care before and after shavings page 3 of 3 applying liposomal sera with Sodium Ascorbyl areas should be thoroughly rinsed with luke- Phosphate (INCI) or the appropriate vegetable warm water and then be treated with barrier extracts; an addition of D-panthenol comple- creams without mineral oil components and ments the pre- and after-treatment. emulsifiers in order to adequately nourish the The epilation creams based on thioglycolic skin. acid for the chemical epilation have a high pH value. That is why they should be used with Dr. Hans Lautenschläger reasonable care. After application, the skin Kosmetik Konzept KOKO GmbH & Co.KG • D-42799 Leichlingen • Moltkestr. 25 • www.dermaviduals.com • page 3 of 3 .