"Insights into shaving and its impact on skin" British J. of Dermatology

[SiBurning]

The full report is available online as a web page and in pdf format. Grab it while it's there.


Here's a quick summary:
Male grooming has its roots in antiquity. Control and styling of facial hair has invariably required the development and use of metal instrumentation. Once crude and unreliable, it has latterly become sophisticated and subject to intense research and development at the highest scientific level. This paper describes how male grooming is being impacted by improvements in fundamental understanding of male skin. Skin issues associated with poor hair removal approaches are common, but are often overlooked or their aetiology misunderstood by patients and physicians. By incorporating advanced scientific measurement and imaging technology into clinical testing, insights are being gained into both the common concerns which men express and optimal solutions for these concerns. Specific aspects such as the study of nicks and cuts and the identification and release of trapped hairs are discussed. Finally, details are presented on how the individual elements of technologically advanced razors play a role in managing the skin and hair, highlighting further the complexity of the shaving process.

Note:
This work was fully funded by Procter & Gamble. Financial support for publication of this supplement was provided by Procter & Gamble.
(You've been warned! )

 

[Vlad]

So: be thorough in your prep for a better shave!

 

[RaiserLiebe]

...read it in its entirety here http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2011.10783.x/full

Cheers!

 

[SiBurning]

Uhm... Yeah!

The whole point of this thread is that it's now available legally online. Maybe I should've used a bigger font...

Fixed it. ???

 

[RaiserLiebe]

Brothers (and Sisters)

A re-post of an article found by SiBurning (and originally posted here http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...-impact-on-skin-quot-British-J-of-Dermatology.)

From Mar-2012 British Journal of Dermatology. Some absolutely fascinating photos. Ever wondered why your neck is so difficult? The article states that there is normally a a high proportion of trapped neck hairs; and that a pre-shave scrub is effectieve in releasing them.

Look at these microphotographs and table which show the clear benefits of a pre-shave facial scrub in releasing trapped hairs:

1. Difference in skin roughness on cheek and neck


2. "The impact of treatment on the number of hairs remaining trapped on the neck.
Six sites were tested on 12 male subjects before and after each treatment, 48 h
after shaving. The facial scrub was found to be the most effective treatment in
releasing hairs that were trapped prior to the shave. The error bars represent
95% confidence intervals for the data."


3. "Example images from the stereo viewing system, showing simultaneous incident
view and 90 ° view of the same hairs before (left) and after (right) treatment
with a preshave scrub, illustrating release of trapped hairs (as indicated by
the arrows)."


Thanks SiBurning!

Cheers!

 

[Predict]

That looks gross but interesting. Thanks for posting

 

[.Damon.]

Interested in which facial scrubs folks use to release the trapped hair. I already use the brush (obviously).

Of course, P&G's fingerprints were all over this (thinner blades... sound familiar), but I do suffer from a large amount of trapped hair, would love to know how else to deal with it.

 

[santamariasteve]

So what is this pre-shave scrub? Are we talking soap, water, and a wash cloth, or something more exotic? Details please.

 

[smalltank]

Straights leave no hairs behind...

 

[Konrad]

I completely back up this study anecdotally. I get much better shaves after using some sort of facial scrub like St. Ives Apricot scrub or a simple baking soda and water paste. I thought it was because the scrubbing was removing dead skin cells, and therefore making the face and neck smoother, but it's good to see it has an effect on the hairs as well.

 

[SiBurning]

Just to show how soft that skin really is, (and since this thread is already a bit gross) here's a picture I took myself. Using a new Feather DE blade, I splashed some tap water on my face, and did a 2" long pass across my cheek. One pass only. No shaving cream or prep/soaking period. Note how soft and gelatinous, and transparent the wet skin cells are. This is what comes off with every shave.

If you want, check out the original post in my LARGE microscope thread with reference scale. WARNING: That thread has a ton of large images.

 

[mblakele]

Nice find, Steve.

I am still reading through it, but this was an early item that I liked: YMMV by the numbers. But they could not find anyone who preps longer than 100-sec? Rough estimate for myself: 300 strokes, 240-sec prep, and 900-sec shave time (including prep).

 

[SiBurning]

Wow! Those are some seriously heavy handed shavers. 0.5N to 4N is 2oz to 14oz. For comparison, the force to cut through the hair averages around 0.15N (1/2 oz) wet and 0.25N (1 oz) dry. No wonder these guys need cheap plastic handles.

 

[celestino]

Holy Aliens, Ridley Scott. Those are some nasty images, but interesting, nonetheless! Thanks.

 

[mblakele]

Note that they looked at the effectiveness of treatments like scrubs 48-hr after shaving, not just before shaving. For myself I think a pre-shave scrub would lead to an irritating shave - but YMMV, and I have not tried it.

While we are posting scary pictures.... Did anyone spot the reference to the 1933 patent for a multiblade razor? Here is a drawing, linked to the full patent (US1920711).

 

[mblakele]

Wow! Those are some seriously heavy handed shavers. 0.5N to 4N is 2oz to 14oz. For comparison, the force to cut through the hair averages around 0.15N (1/2 oz) wet and 0.25N (1 oz) dry. No wonder these guys need cheap plastic handles.

So "Shaving load" is pressure on the blade, you think? They did not provide much explanatory text for that table, just this:

Various instrumental methods are available to study the behaviour of individuals, although many require bespoke de- velopment to be applied to the shaving process. These include filming techniques, often using ultra-high speed digital cameras, motion capture systems to record biomechanical movements and instrumented razors to measure the applied forces associated with the shave.

Example data gathered in this way are shown in Table 1, highlighting a typical high level for each shaving parameter and a typical low level. It can be seen that the differences between individuals are frequently greater than an order of magnitude. Consequently, commercial razors are required to contend with a huge variety of shaving behaviours in the hands of consumers, in addition to the physiological challenges mentioned previously.

 

[RaiserLiebe]

So what is this pre-shave scrub? Are we talking soap, water, and a wash cloth, or something more exotic? Details please.

the original article gives no details. It references a second article (McDermott A, Westbrook A, Warnke D et al. The use of a shaving regimen for male facial shaving improves overall skin condition. J Am Acad Dermatol 2010; 62 (Suppl. 1):AB38), but this too just says "preshave scrub" in the Abstract (the whole article is only available for purchase for $31- I will try to get a copy through work and post here if I can).

It really involves removal of the very thin layer of epidermis ttrapping the hairs. A good scrub with a washcloth and Dove or other mild soap in the shower is all I use, and I have no trouble with ingrons that I can see or feel - of course, some are much more prone to this than others. I follow this currently with wetting with warm water and a coat of Jack Black Beard Lube, leaving that one while I apply lather for first pass. Leaves me super slick!

I am intrigued by the science of shaving wiki post that recommends baking soda treatment, wash off, followed by mineral oil. Cheaper and there seems to be good reasons to try it.

Cheers!

 

[Rustonrazor]

I use St. Ives about every other day. Could be my skin type in addition to the prep, but ingrown hairs I have not.

 

[IronHammer]

Very interesting! I always shave right after showering. Now that I have read this article, I have noticed I seem to get a better shave when I spend more time washing my face in the shower, paying close attention to massaging soap into the skin and hairs of my face and neck (I use Cusson's Imperial Leather exclusively). Despite the prevailing notion that we are able to just "figure it out on our own", I suppose research into the subject can be useful.

 

[Konrad]

I've also read that one of the most helpful things black shavers (who can be plagued by ingrown hairs) can do is scrub their faces with facial brushes like this before shaving. I plan on using something like that in the future since bristles and soap are cheaper and seem preferable to synthetic exfoliants or grit.