My dermatologist is recommending.Canned Goo

[DE-Noob-at-39]

I go to a dermatologist annually for mole checks. I think yours just gave you a bunch of BS. Mine has been trying to figure out why I have rosacia and dry skin on my face for nearly five years. i just went to the eye doc for a major stye and he knew more about what was causing my skin conditions than the dermatologist. Also my skin has looked way better since i stopped using mach3 and canned goo.

 

[PMT]

I go to a dermatologist annually for mole checks. I think yours just gave you a bunch of BS. Mine has been trying to figure out why I have rosacia and dry skin on my face for nearly five years. i just went to the eye doc for a major stye and he knew more about what was causing my skin conditions than the dermatologist. Also my skin has looked way better since i stopped using mach3 and canned goo.

+1

 

[psychob0b1977]

Just a quick thought that I had today that may be something to look into. If your problems are caused by bacteria, could the bacteria be coming from whatever towel your are using to clean up?

I don't know about others around here, but growing up some what poor meant we used the same towel for a week at a time, or in some cases until it started to smell musty...

If you aren't already, try using a fresh towel every day.

 

[dpm802]

Guess what popped up on my YouTube feed today.
How To Make Shaving Brush Cleanser - DIY: http://youtu.be/_922TvtPBG4

I just read the list of ingredients at the beginning of the clip. It looks like a good mix.

Another good brush cleaner is a mild vinegar solution, around 1%. This should take care of any bacteria.

Except, no matter what cleaning solution you use, you'd probably have to dunk the whole brush. This could be a problem with a wooden handle.

I would never put a brush into Barbicide. While it will kill the germs, it will probably also impart a permanent blue tint to whatever knot and or wooden handle you have. Even if it doesn't turn it blue, Barbicide is severe overkill for cleaning a shaving brush.

You could try hand-lathering with your favorite soap or cream for a couple of weeks and see if the problem goes away. If it does clear up, that tells you that the brush is indeed a problem area.

 

[Rallypoint_1]

I have do agree with some of the others and finding another dermatologist. Just to get a 4th or 5th opinion. If your dermatologist are in the same office they probably read your chart and come to the same conclusion.

I hope you don't mind me asking but what nationality are you? Reason is that I am of italian descent(mom and dad) and I have super thick hair. Straight and lots of it!! I occasionally get what seems to be a zit or two on my scalp. Seems like it scabs up and if I pick at it, it bleeds. I looked it up and read it can be the same condition as you. Do you have the same type of zit like ingrowns? Sorry just curious.

 

[tinashubby]

I recently tried a sample of dr.Carver shave butter from dollar shave club. I am waiting for my full-size tube to arrive. This is some good stuff...

 

[AndreasTV]

Hello. Five years with folliculitis is not normal ... It must be traeted with a topic antibiotic, mixed in a mild cream (DAC here in Germany).
Washing the skin in the infected area with real soap is contra-productiv because the skin absorbs to much water what makes the skin "damp" = Bacteria like it a lot .
Washing once per day with "Octenisan" washlotion and let it sit for 3 minutes will kill all bacterias =
http://www.schuelke.com/schuelke-ma...tring=octenisan&sendButton.x=0&sendButton.y=0 . You can use the "Octenisan" antiseptic for washing the body, too.
Every use a new towel, a new pillow as well.
That is a threatment for foliculitis - equal at head or face. I had this plus a light rosacea two years ago - this treatment solves it in 2 month and never since then .
The light cream after the washing was with Erythmotrecin and Metronidazol (0,5 to 1 % / 100 Gramm), mixing in Basiscreme (don´t know the english word for them) by the pharmacy.

Hope it will gone fast.

Greetings

Andreas

 

[FireDragon76]

Barbacide or Dettol should be fine for disinfecting shave brushes and razors between uses. I use it occassionaly, especially on brushes I resell or that I've bought off eBay used. Dettol is used in India all the time for disinfecting shaving gear, and India is a country where some nasty bugs can be found in abundance (multiple drug resistant bacteria).

 

[opsimath]

Personna makes a razor called BUMP FIGHTER that is designed to help avoid folliculitis. I've no idea if this information is at all helpful, but it helped a friend who had folliculitis on his neck from shaving. Here's a link:

http://www.thebumpfighter.com/

best luck and happy shaving!

 

[Merle]

Interesting information about Octenisan
Citation from the NIH library online:
Microbicidal activity of octenidine hydrochloride, a new alkanediylbis[pyridine] germicidal agent.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC180329

 

[lemisanthrope]

How did your dermatologist culture your folliculitis? That's damn near impossible. Every possible pathogen can be present on the skin and it's not like you have a sequestered abscess to get a clean culture swab from.

Barbasol or rubbing alcohol bath for all of your shaving equipment between uses. Use only fragrance-free soap products. I do think it's quite possible that using a shaving brush will exacerbate your folliculitis, so a fragrange-free brushless soap probably is the best choice for your head. Doesn't necessarily need to be canned goo though; I disagree with your dermatologist there. Fragrance-free witch hazel as an aftershave would also be a good idea.

Edit: Just saw your post that you've not had improvement using witch hazel. I still can't imagine a better, less irritating and more bactericidal option than fragrance-free witch hazel.

 

[Warlocks]

Ask your derm if you can use a Benzoyl peroxide wash on your head.

 

[gwsmallwood]

Thanks for weighing in with the additional suggestions everyone. I've already tried or discussed many of these with my dermatologist, but there are some new ideas in there too. I'll be sure to discuss them at my next appointment. For now, here's my daily answers to the questions that have been posed...

With respect to exfoliation, I use no specific product other than on of those scrubbing mitts that simulate a luffa. I vigorously go over my scalp with one before starting my shave. Curious as to why your Dermatologist suspects something on your soap or brush? Assuming both are allowed to dry properly, I am wondering what could survive long enough between shaves to be a problem?

I'll ask about physical exfoliation. In the past, I haven't seen too much benefit, but I think the ones I was using also had salicylic acid, so that could have been the problem. That stuff drys my skin so much that it makes the problems worse. As far as the bacteria, it wasn't a suspicion. I asked, and the answer was maybe, let's see what the cultures show. The recommendation to use the canned goo had more to do with lubrication.

I'm not a dermatoligist by any means. It sounds like the issue is bacteria transmission. Every doctor that I've talked to says the basics behind your type of issues are if it's dry, make it wet; if it's wet, make it dry. My thoughts would be:
1) Use a lather bowl if you aren't already - this will help keep the bacteria isolated to the bowl/brush and not allow it to spread from one day to the next when you load your brush
2) If you can't use an alum bar, then try an alcohol based aftershave. Alcohol will kill the bacteria. If you can't use an alcohol based aftershave, then how about a product like Sea Breeze? About 30 years ago when I was going through puberty and had a ton of zits (spread bacteria), we used to use Sea Breeze to clean our face. If you don't want a stinky aftershave, try something like Sea Breeze.
3) If you don't have hair on your head, I'm sure like most folks that don't have hair on their head, you wear hats. Have you looked at your hats as a cause for the issue?
4) If an alum bar dries your scalp, can you use the alum bar, rinse it off, then apply a moisurizing sunscreen to your head?

I have considered going back to bowl lathering. I actually have a synthetic brush on the way, and I plan to exclusively bowl lather with it. I typically use Clubman Original, followed a few minutes later by some corn husker's lotion for adding moisture back in. I just started experimenting with adding some glycerine directly to the Clubman. I don't wear hats often. They just haven't been comfortable since I started shaving my head. Not a bad idea with the alum. I have considered giving it another try along with a good moisturizer.

Stoof, you were replying to a post about a Gillette product, not Barbasol. That said, that Barbasol tube looks interesting.

I agree. The Barbasol with aloe has been getting a lot of love lately. Maybe I'll have to check this out.

Garrett, first off i'm sure that all 3 of the derm doc's you've seen know what they are doing! Seem's like a few members just raced to the end to post without reading the whole thread. I've had some problems in the past and always keep a cheap no name brand unscented bottle of Witch Hazel (with alcohol) & a bottle of CVS glyercin and i add some pure tea tree essintial oil to both and use the soap to wash problem areas & do the same with the witch hazel mix to cool off and clear up clogged pores. Know you've heard 100 different idea's of what to do but here is a little about pure tea tree essential oil. Tea tree oil has been claimed to be useful for treating a wide variety of medical conditions. It shows some promise as an antimicrobial. Tea tree oil may be effective in a variety of dermatologic conditions including dandruff, acne, lice, herpes, and other skin infections.

I was using a Hollywood Beauty Tea Tree Oil blend for a while. I tried using it just as pre-shave, then twice a day as a general moisturizer for a while. Didn't really help, and then my derm told me to stay away from oils as they can trap the bacteria on the surface of the skin.

I used to get ingrown hairs something awful and I think I have the cure.
Use a MILDER razor & never shave against the grain. As far as an infected brush, use a synthetic. I do as they are fantastic and harbor no bacteria to the best of my knowledge. Forget the BBS BS so many obsess about. Trust me, this works.

Good advice, but it doesn't work for me. Like I mentioned before, we're not sure yet whether the ingrowns are getting infected, or whether the infections are causing the ingrowns. I don't generally shave ATG, which is why my derm recommended I try it for a while as a change of pace. I can't use mild razors. Again, they make the problems worse. Even when I have razor bumps the shave with my wide open Fatboy is way more comfortable with much better results than my DE89. I have a synthetic on the way.

My dermatologist is a woman (who does not understand shaving). If you must use gel, use Aveeno ...

That's what I figured, and that's what I picked up to try.

Grow your hair back ya nut! Geez...

Unfortunately, I started fighting this problem a couple of years before I started shaving my head. I just thought it was generic acne then.

Just a quick thought that I had today that may be something to look into. If your problems are caused by bacteria, could the bacteria be coming from whatever towel your are using to clean up? I don't know about others around here, but growing up some what poor meant we used the same towel for a week at a time, or in some cases until it started to smell musty... If you aren't already, try using a fresh towel every day.

The towel I use to dry my head gets rotated daily, and they get washed in hot water with extra rinse cycles and dried for an extra long cycle.

Another good brush cleaner is a mild vinegar solution, around 1%. This should take care of any bacteria. Except, no matter what cleaning solution you use, you'd probably have to dunk the whole brush. This could be a problem with a wooden handle. I would never put a brush into Barbicide. While it will kill the germs, it will probably also impart a permanent blue tint to whatever knot and or wooden handle you have. Even if it doesn't turn it blue, Barbicide is severe overkill for cleaning a shaving brush. You could try hand-lathering with your favorite soap or cream for a couple of weeks and see if the problem goes away. If it does clear up, that tells you that the brush is indeed a problem area.

That's what I typically use, but I've only done it a couple of times in the 10 months I've been using them. I plan to try bowl lathering for a while.

I have do agree with some of the others and finding another dermatologist. Just to get a 4th or 5th opinion. If your dermatologist are in the same office they probably read your chart and come to the same conclusion. I hope you don't mind me asking but what nationality are you? Reason is that I am of italian descent(mom and dad) and I have super thick hair. Straight and lots of it!! I occasionally get what seems to be a zit or two on my scalp. Seems like it scabs up and if I pick at it, it bleeds. I looked it up and read it can be the same condition as you. Do you have the same type of zit like ingrowns? Sorry just curious.

We'll see what the culture turns up and what the recommendations are. Maybe I'll consider trying another doc if I don't like the treatment plan I'm given. I'm of mixed nationality. Lots of German, about 1/8 Cherokee, a little more than 1/8 Irish, and some other European blood mixed in as well. Yes, many of the bumps that I get do look like zits, only they don't express much fluid, even when they are white. It differs from acne because the problem is at the follicle, not the pores, and the area around the follicle will be a very dark purplish red.

I recently tried a sample of dr.Carver shave butter from dollar shave club. I am waiting for my full-size tube to arrive. This is some good stuff...

I've had another recommendation for shea butter soaps. I'll have to consider that.

Hello. Five years with folliculitis is not normal ... It must be traeted with a topic antibiotic, mixed in a mild cream (DAC here in Germany).
Washing the skin in the infected area with real soap is contra-productiv because the skin absorbs to much water what makes the skin "damp" = Bacteria like it a lot .
Washing once per day with "Octenisan" washlotion and let it sit for 3 minutes will kill all bacterias =
http://www.schuelke.com/schuelke-ma...tring=octenisan&sendButton.x=0&sendButton.y=0 . You can use the "Octenisan" antiseptic for washing the body, too.
Every use a new towel, a new pillow as well.
That is a threatment for foliculitis - equal at head or face. I had this plus a light rosacea two years ago - this treatment solves it in 2 month and never since then .
The light cream after the washing was with Erythmotrecin and Metronidazol (0,5 to 1 % / 100 Gramm), mixing in Basiscreme (don´t know the english word for them) by the pharmacy.

I've never heard of that before. I'll have to ask. I went through 4 cycles of topical clindamycin, which is suspended in alcohol. It worked great the first time, and got less effective with each use, until this last time it didn't work at all.

Personna makes a razor called BUMP FIGHTER that is designed to help avoid folliculitis. I've no idea if this information is at all helpful, but it helped a friend who had folliculitis on his neck from shaving. Here's a link:http://www.thebumpfighter.com/ best luck and happy shaving!

I don't like the idea of that at all. Give up my DEs? That would be worse at this point than being forced to use canned goo.

How did your dermatologist culture your folliculitis? That's damn near impossible. Every possible pathogen can be present on the skin and it's not like you have a sequestered abscess to get a clean culture swab from. Barbasol or rubbing alcohol bath for all of your shaving equipment between uses. Use only fragrance-free soap products. I do think it's quite possible that using a shaving brush will exacerbate your folliculitis, so a fragrange-free brushless soap probably is the best choice for your head. Doesn't necessarily need to be canned goo though; I disagree with your dermatologist there. Fragrance-free witch hazel as an aftershave would also be a good idea. Edit: Just saw your post that you've not had improvement using witch hazel. I still can't imagine a better, less irritating and more bactericidal option than fragrance-free witch hazel.

He used some needles to poke through some of the white-head like bumps and collect a few samples from different areas of the scalp. I change my DE blades every shave and rinse the head of my razor in rubbing alcohol after use just to be safe. I do probably need to try a fragrance free soap or cream for a while just to be safe, but I don't think that's the problem, as I have a fairly wide variety of soaps and it doesn't seem to matter which of them I use.

Ask your derm if you can use a Benzoyl peroxide wash on your head.

I already use that twice a day at the derms recommendation.

 

[limegreen]

I did not see any reflexions about fungi in this thread. There are many types that can cause foliculitis, especially the spore forming ones like pityriasis which are quite common. Treatment is simple and quite harmless, but ordinary antibiotics will not work. If it has not already been discussed with your dermatologist, I suggest you ask about it or try some antimycotics which can be used togeather with your regular treatment.

I hope you find a solution to your problems.
Best wishes /
Johan

 

[gwsmallwood]

I did not see any reflexions about fungi in this thread. There are many types that can cause foliculitis, especially the spore forming ones like pityriasis which are quite common. Treatment is simple and quite harmless, but ordinary antibiotics will not work. If it has not already been discussed with your dermatologist, I suggest you ask about it or try some antimycotics which can be used togeather with your regular treatment.

I hope you find a solution to your problems.
Best wishes /
Johan

That's why he's doing the culture, but there wasn't any evidence of fungal infection, especially considering the Tea Tree Oil had not been helping.

 

[AndreasTV]

Interesting information about Octenisan
Citation from the NIH library online:
Microbicidal activity of octenidine hydrochloride, a new alkanediylbis[pyridine] germicidal agent.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC180329

Good morning .
I use this before and after my many operations to solve my "Acne inversa" at my "back" (This was strange whikle you can´t sit normal by 12 operastions in 3,5 years).

This thread was moved so I must search for it.

I hope the problem of the OP got a fast solution - wish luck a lot.

Greetings

Andreas

 

[Greaserboi]

He probably works for Gillette and is getting you to use canned goo..Probably has stock.

 

[gwsmallwood]

He probably works for Gillette and is getting you to use canned goo..Probably has stock.

I wish that was the easy answer. He actually recommended Aveeno or Edge, not Gillette, so unless those two are subsidiaries somehow...

My trial with the Aveeno will start tomorrow. I'm still waiting on the results of the culture, but in the meantime, I'll use the gel for a week or two just to see what happens. Like I mentioned before, the gel is just for my head. I'll keep using my brush and soaps to shave my face. I'm normally a 1 pass WTG on the face. Might have to add in a second pass just so I can enjoy my soaps more while I'm not using them on my head...

 

[feltspanky]

Very important for your towels and pillowcases to be use only once and sanitized. My Dematologist prescribed Accutane an it cleared up my problem.

 

[Jerry-built Hustler]

In a gesture of solidarity, I think tomorrow I'll break out my Lab Series shave oil, the Lab Series cream, and whisk it all off with an Atra Plus cartridge. I can't join you in the ATG, though. Sorry.

Well, so much for that idea. I did use Lab Series for a couple strokes. I'd forgotten what a drag it is...literally. That stuff offers no glide at all, even when used in tandem with their shave oil and a cartridge with a lube strip. I rinsed it off, quickly lathered up some TOBS Peppermint, and finished the shave in much better form.