Father's Day giveaway: shave & back massage

We're counting down to Father's Day with daily giveaways. Win an 'ultimate shave' experience and back massage from M.E.G. to pamper your dad. 

 

Tips on how to get a great shave:

 

Its true, a man’s skin is really different from a woman’s.

 

Regardless of age, men have more collagen density than woman with a rougher texture and thicker stratum corneum (the outermost layer of your skin) .

 

Men generally have better hydration than woman, as men’s sweat secretions have a higher level of Lactic Acid , known to be a natural hydrator of the skin. 

 

Perhaps the greatest difference in our skins is the fact that men have facial hair, triggered by hormones in puberty and thereafter the need to start shaving.

 

Shaving is a form of exfoliation for the skin and it can trigger irritation, razor burn, ingrown hairs and compromise the skins first level of defence, the barrier function. The barrier function is critical in controlling what enters the skins and what exits the skin. If your barrier is “stripped” or impaired, the good stuff usually gets out and the bad stuff gets in. This creates a knock-on effect of triggering sensitivity, irritation and premature ageing in the skin. It too will result in the most uncomfortable shave!

 

The top three  shaving offenders:

 

1. Pseudofolliculitis barbae (ingrown hairs and beard bumps): ingrown hairs are triggered when the hair is cut and either grows back into the follicle or grows at an angle or doubles over on itself and grows back into the follicle. 

2. Razor burn: is inflammation from incorrect shaving, including shaving too closely, too quickly or with a blunt blade. It could also be due to lack of protection between the razor and the skin, shaving against the grain or shaving over an already sensitised area.

3. Heavy beard growth : Genetics, hormones and ethnicity are the culprits here. Painful dragging and scraping , clogging of the razor and tugging are generally the concern. Men with heavy beards are more than likely to suffer from itchiness, dryness, nicks and cuts.

 

Tips on getting a great shave

 

More than often incorrect shaving habits and poor skin health are the largest contributing factors to shaving concerns. So be sure to:

 

• Shave with the grain. For that extra close shave you may shave against the grain BUT you need to reapply your shave medium so that you do not get razor burn

• Pre shave: make sure you shower before shaving, the warmth of the water and steam with soften your beard .

• Be sure to prep your beard with a gentle scrub, this will lift the hairs and ensure a comfortable shave

• Use  a pre-shave guard (my favourite is Dermalogica’s Pre Shave Guard, it has ingredients within it to soften a very hard beard and create a barrier between the skin and the razor) 

 

 

• Use a shaving medium to suit your skin type , a cream for a dry skin and heavy beard, a gel for an oily type skin and a softer beard growth or a silicone balm if you are doing some “mangeneering” of bokkie’s and goatees.

• Always soothe the skin with a post shave balm free of alcohol and fragrances. 

• Apply a moisturiser with an Sun Protection Factor (min SPF15)

• Be sure to rinse off your blade between strokes and we always suggest that you have a basin full of hot water with some hand or body wash in it so that you can dissolve the residue off the blade. 

• Our most favourite shaving blade is a Gilette Mack 3. We often find that any more blades create unnecessary irritation. 

 

- Shana Giessing, MD M.E.G Skin and Body Experts 

 

 

 

WIN an "ultimate shave " experience and back massage. Simply answer this question: which is the only skin centre in durban that specialises in men's grooming, sports massage and anti-ageing solutions? Email your answer to [email protected] with the subject line: Father's Day giveaway.

 

*Please note this competition is now closed