Slight Bumps

[FormAndFunction]

I’ve developed a few small lump/bumps on my face which I can only attribute to shaving. They aren’t pimples as they don’t come to a head. What would cause this considering my sensitive area is my neck and I have no bumps there? They do not appear to be ingrown hairs.

I do use what I believe to be adequate cream (Nivea gel for sensitive skin or TOBS) and I use Nivea aftershave balm for sensitive skin.

Thoughts?

 

[Alex Jr]

and I use Nivea aftershave balm for sensitive skin.

That product breaks me out within a couple of days of use.

I would stop balms as a first step. Or use something like cerave lotion, non comedogenic.

You didn’t mention your technique or how long you’ve been doing this.

See if you can point out anything that could be causing it. Are you stretching the skin? Dull blade? Wrong angle?

On my ATG pass I can’t stretch my skin. I have to go the other way actually (bullfrog). Even “neutral” gives me trouble.

If you can’t identify anything or have done it all, try BENZOYL PEROXIDE cream.

It will dry those out in less than 2 days. Sometimes after 1 application. It’s that effective, believe me.

Keep us updated.

 

[BigJ]

That product breaks me out within a couple of days of use.

I would stop balms as a first step. Or use something like cerave lotion, non comedogenic.

You didn’t mention your technique or how long you’ve been doing this.

See if you can point out anything that could be causing it. Are you stretching the skin? Dull blade? Wrong angle?

On my ATG pass I can’t stretch my skin. I have to go the other way actually (bullfrog). Even “neutral” gives me trouble.

If you can’t identify anything or have done it all, try BENZOYL PEROXIDE cream.

It will dry those out in less than 2 days. Sometimes after 1 application. It’s that effective, believe me.

Keep us updated.

+1! Good advice!

And if that does not help, I would consider a visit to the dermatologist.

 

[FormAndFunction]

Thanks for everyone’s feedback. I did recently acquire the Rockwell 6S (excellent razor, btw), so it could very well be a bad shaving angle. Plus, I was using a Feather blade which historically hasn’t been that kind to my skin in other razors.

I’ll try a different blade and keep working on the proper angle for the 6S. If it continues, I’ll discontinue the Nivea balm for a while to test that theory.

 

[railer489]

When I get new shaving items, I introduce them one at a time. This way if a shave goes south, I know what the issue was.

A while back I had an ingrown hair that started as a bump. Took about three weeks to get rid of. I used witch hazel to treat it. The witch Havel had a soothing effect and calmed down the redness pretty swiftly.

I Hope things clear up for you quickly. Literally.

 

[horizon]

Years ago, when I started shaving, I would see similar growths on my face when I repeated the same area too many times. The same happens when there is too much pressure on the razor.

 

[Alexland]

Try reducing the aggressiveness of your Rockwell plate and blade choice to avoid razor burn and dryness. With improved technique you may be able to reduce the number of passes over the skin. I find it's best to have a warm shower before but on shaves where that's not practical (like when I am in a rush to get the kids to school) then I use a preshave product.
Nivea sensitive balm is OK but I try to use it sparingly and not every day, only when needed in minimal quantity, as it's a load of cheap chemicals on your face all day. When I do apply it then I try and avoid getting it on damaged skin incase it negatively affects the natural healing process. I've had a few bumps in the past where skin (perhaps encouraged by moisturiser or balm) has grown over scabs and created bumps which then takes a lot of effort to get right again.
While I also like Nivea Sensitive Gel and various TOBS creams and they can both leave my skin a bit dry so I have started using more moisturising natural shave creams (some are more viscous like a face mask) from Exec Shaving UK that leave my face very nice and shave off leaving no obvious layer of chemicals on my skin but removing the need for a balm. I'm trying to use this type of cream every couple of days then when I use something else inbetween I am less likely to need balm.

 

[Alexland]

Thanks for everyone’s feedback. I did recently acquire the Rockwell 6S (excellent razor, btw), so it could very well be a bad shaving angle. Plus, I was using a Feather blade which historically hasn’t been that kind to my skin in other razors.

I’ll try a different blade and keep working on the proper angle for the 6S. If it continues, I’ll discontinue the Nivea balm for a while to test that theory.

Geofatboy has a good video on determining the right angle for your razor.

 

[z1ck]

I’ve developed a few small lump/bumps on my face which I can only attribute to shaving. They aren’t pimples as they don’t come to a head. What would cause this considering my sensitive area is my neck and I have no bumps there? They do not appear to be ingrown hairs.

I do use what I believe to be adequate cream (Nivea gel for sensitive skin or TOBS) and I use Nivea aftershave balm for sensitive skin.

Thoughts?

If your bumps go away after a few hours and do not stay for too long then it's most likely over-shaving or friction/irritation.
- if you leave your hair to grow particularly longer before you shave, then always shave with the grain first
- try a slicker soap or anything that's glycerin and oil based. Nivea is good but like the previous comments said it can leave your skin dry and can cause friction with multiple passes. I use Cremo because whilst it's generally non foaming it does make the blade glide like butter. There are of course other pretty good soaps/creams out there!
- make sure your blade isn't too dull to cause friction or too sharp to cause over-shaving/irritation
- if you do multiple strokes, try to use extra soap before each stroke
- don't go too fast and make sure you get the right angle, that can help a lot
- if you feel your skin is irritated, treat it with something like witch hazel or oat/wheat based post shave and give it time to recover before your next shave.