Hot Towel = Burst Capillaries ?

[Renato1]

I just bought some Trumpers Coconut Oil Soap from The English Shaving Company, which came with a nice sample of Jagger shave cream and an instruction sheet on how to shave. It recommends a hot towel applied to the face for 15 seconds. This accords with a lot of postings I see here recommending hot towels applied to the face.

Only problem is, every single skin care site I've ever read - be it women's ones, or from manufacturers of mens skin care products - says DO NOT USE HOT WATER ON FACE SKIN.

Instead they say to use warm water, else the result will be burst capillaries which leave those fine thin red marks over your cheek bones/around nose that never go away (unless you get laser treatment).

As I see it, the advice on hot water for wet shaving is the exact opposite to the advice for skin care - there can't be common ground, unless one accepts the notion that a lot of wet shavers are going to have lousier looking skin on their faces than electric shavers.

Are the skin care people overly cautious, or is this a real issue? Your thoughts please?
Regards,
Renato

 

[BlackBard]

It depends on what you mean by "hot." Anything more than about 110 degrees F is too hot, in my book. YMMV, however. I recall a post from a member who claimed he showered in and preped his beard in 140 degree water. I seriously doubted it, but he insisted he knew the temperature. I guess his mileage really did vary.

There is no point in burning your skin with water that is too hot when you have plenty of opportunity to get razor "burn" by mishandling your shaving tools.

 

[goh2499]

A hot towel use water as hot as you can handle running across the inside of your wrist for at least ten seconds. Remember if you can't handle the towel comfortably with your bare hands it's too hot and could perhaps damage your skin.

 

[Steveareno]

A hot towel use water as hot as you can handle running across the inside of your wrist for at least ten seconds. Remember if you can't handle the towel comfortably with your bare hands it's too hot and could perhaps damage your skin.

+1 -- I use a hot towel and it took a few times to get the temperature right. But once I did it seemed to improve my shave, and even if it didn't, it just feels darn good!

 

[Mick]

There is a difference between hot and TOO hot. It is difficult to know the difference when doing it at home. Always error on the warm side of hot and if you must, use multiple warm towels not one that is too hot

 

[Ron Scott]

Not sure anything is ever gained by using hot v. warm water in bathing/shaving.

 

[Shaving_CHENG]

I think it means not so hot as to damage.

 

[Warpiper]

For what it is worth as it applies to the subject, I use a hydrocollator with moist packs in my office from time to time for therapeutic uses. At skin surface the person should feel warmth between 92-98 deg, hot between 98-104 deg (hot tubs are usually set for 104 deg), and increasingly uncomfortable from 104 and above depending on the individual. Therapeutic range for heat modalities are usually from 100-115 deg. Thermal damage can be caused as low as 107.6 deg F if left on for hours (which folks do at home with heating pads). The rule of thumb when applying heat for therapeutic use is that 113 deg F at close contact for 30 minute duration is the maximum safe exposure time. I go no longer than 15 minutes. I should point out that the hot packs are used over large muscles and not over the thin skin and small facial muscles. Some of the contraindications for the use of heat is vascular diseases or disorders, bleeding tendencies, acute skin conditions (rashes, sunburns...) and extremely fair skin to name a few. Heat should never be applied over the eyes.

As to burst capillaries there are several causes. For the most part based on my experience burst capillaries occur because the blood vessels are not as pliable/flexible as they should be and tend to be more fragile. Usually because of atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, or some times a deficiency of certain vitamins. Trauma is also another cause for burst capillaries. Trauma can also include high heat, too much heat for extended periods of time (see above numbers), sun burns, and to much time under infrared lamps.

I haven't used a hot towel for my face yet but if I did, I'd try to keep the temperature under 115 deg F and leave it on for maybe a minute. I find for me anything above that is uncomfortable and I would have to play with the temperature to see what feels the best. Most home hot water heaters are set between 110-120.

Well, that was my 2 cents. I hope it made sense and was worth reading.

 

[Eeyore]

I would recommend using warm water. Anything so hot that you can't splash it on your face probably has the possibility to damage your upper skin.

 

[Renato1]

It depends on what you mean by "hot." Anything more than about 110 degrees F is too hot, in my book. YMMV, however. I recall a post from a member who claimed he showered in and preped his beard in 140 degree water. I seriously doubted it, but he insisted he knew the temperature. I guess his mileage really did vary.

There is no point in burning your skin with water that is too hot when you have plenty of opportunity to get razor "burn" by mishandling your shaving tools.

Thanks. I'd have thought 110 Fahrenheit wouldn't be that bad - because the temperature gets to that several times every other summer down here without any noticeable effect on faces (except perspiration). Hot for weather but warmish for face wash.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

A hot towel use water as hot as you can handle running across the inside of your wrist for at least ten seconds. Remember if you can't handle the towel comfortably with your bare hands it's too hot and could perhaps damage your skin.

Thanks. That's an interesting measure of heat - though I suspect it's hotter than what the skin care/cosmetic types were suggesting.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

There is a difference between hot and TOO hot. It is difficult to know the difference when doing it at home. Always error on the warm side of hot and if you must, use multiple warm towels not one that is too hot

Seems a wise way of doing it to me. Though as someone who can't be bothered with doing a warm towel once, I wonder at how many would do two warm towels. I guess it all depends on the problems one is experiencing with wet shaving.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

Not sure anything is ever gained by using hot v. warm water in bathing/shaving.

Good point.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

I think it means not so hot as to damage.

It may mean that, but that's not how it reads.

I suspect when most people read "hot" they think "hot", like in hot coffee.
Regards,
Renato

 

[KodiakAttack]

There is a difference between hot and TOO hot.

Lesson Learned

 

[Renato1]

For what it is worth as it applies to the subject, I use a hydrocollator with moist packs in my office from time to time for therapeutic uses. At skin surface the person should feel warmth between 92-98 deg, hot between 98-104 deg (hot tubs are usually set for 104 deg), and increasingly uncomfortable from 104 and above depending on the individual. Therapeutic range for heat modalities are usually from 100-115 deg. Thermal damage can be caused as low as 107.6 deg F if left on for hours (which folks do at home with heating pads). The rule of thumb when applying heat for therapeutic use is that 113 deg F at close contact for 30 minute duration is the maximum safe exposure time. I go no longer than 15 minutes. I should point out that the hot packs are used over large muscles and not over the thin skin and small facial muscles. Some of the contraindications for the use of heat is vascular diseases or disorders, bleeding tendencies, acute skin conditions (rashes, sunburns...) and extremely fair skin to name a few. Heat should never be applied over the eyes.

As to burst capillaries there are several causes. For the most part based on my experience burst capillaries occur because the blood vessels are not as pliable/flexible as they should be and tend to be more fragile. Usually because of atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, or some times a deficiency of certain vitamins. Trauma is also another cause for burst capillaries. Trauma can also include high heat, too much heat for extended periods of time (see above numbers), sun burns, and to much time under infrared lamps.

I haven't used a hot towel for my face yet but if I did, I'd try to keep the temperature under 115 deg F and leave it on for maybe a minute. I find for me anything above that is uncomfortable and I would have to play with the temperature to see what feels the best. Most home hot water heaters are set between 110-120.

Well, that was my 2 cents. I hope it made sense and was worth reading.

Definitely worth reading, thanks.

Down here, most home water heaters are set at around 140 to 150F.

We had an incident in one of our northern states a few months back where to save energy, a hospital lowered its water heaters to 122F. Result was several patients died from legionnaires disease.

Though if you set your water heater temperatures relatively low (South Carolina is a pretty hot place, is it not), then we'd have a different idea of what constitutes "hot" coming out of the tap. Come to think of it, when staying in Italy, I had to go and dismantle part of our water heater to get to and turn up the thermostat, to get the sort of temperature we were used to in Australia.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

I would recommend using warm water. Anything so hot that you can't splash it on your face probably has the possibility to damage your upper skin.

I see you've had similar thoughts to mine.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Warpiper]

(South Carolina is a pretty hot place, is it not),

Hot and muggy.

 

[gus1942]

I just bought some Trumpers Coconut Oil Soap from The English Shaving Company, which came with a nice sample of Jagger shave cream and an instruction sheet on how to shave. It recommends a hot towel applied to the face for 15 seconds. This accords with a lot of postings I see here recommending hot towels applied to the face.

Only problem is, every single skin care site I've ever read - be it women's ones, or from manufacturers of mens skin care products - says DO NOT USE HOT WATER ON FACE SKIN.

Instead they say to use warm water, else the result will be burst capillaries which leave those fine thin red marks over your cheek bones/around nose that never go away (unless you get laser treatment).

As I see it, the advice on hot water for wet shaving is the exact opposite to the advice for skin care - there can't be common ground, unless one accepts the notion that a lot of wet shavers are going to have lousier looking skin on their faces than electric shavers.

Are the skin care people overly cautious, or is this a real issue? Your thoughts please?
Regards,
Renato

Well, from me the advice is the same. Avoid hot water. However, hot water does not "burst capillaries". You do get vasodilatation of the perpheral arteriolar vascular bed which will increase bleeding and weepers. I have made this issue a non entity by cold water shaving.

 

[cb91710]

Also remember that there is a difference between dousing/soaking in hot water, application of a medical heat pack, and application of a hot towel, which has natural air pockets between the towel and skin.
A heated towel is much more tolerable than splashing hot water.

But I agree... don't burn yourself. If it is too hot for your wrist or the back of your hand, it is too hot for your face.