Atopic eczema is a harsh disease to live with and is potentially aggravated by actions that are harmless to most people, such as shaving and using perfume or deodorant.
Is it possible to grow a beard or a mustache when you have eczema?
Yes, there is no general rule but rather a certain number of observations. In the atopic patient, hair is generally more or less well tolerated, which is explained by its scaly composition, which makes it abrasive for fragile or damaged skin.
Rubbing hair on atopic skin often irritates it. So long hair on the back of the neck and the top of the back, especially when sleeping, can be responsible for areas of stubborn eczema.
The beard is slightly different because the hair grows away from the skin with less friction than the hair. The beard problem is, therefore, more problematic for the atopic spouses of bearded people, for whom it can be a real problem (irritation of the lower face, eczema of the lips, etc.).
Shaving care and eczema?
For atopic skin, shaving must avoid being irritating. Therefore, the first question is what is irritating! If there is no problem, no change is necessary. If there is irritation, a few simple rules are usually enough to make shaving comfortable:
Favor mechanical shaving
- Shave just after the shower or at the end of the shower
- Rub the skin with a dermatological bar
- Apply shaving foam or gel
- Shave in the direction of the hair
- Rinse well
- Apply a moisturizing face cream
- Avoid after-shave lotions
All products used should be suitable for atopic skin.
Can perfume be applied?
Perfume can be used with an adapted procedure.
- No perfume sprayed directly on the skin
- Spray clothes on a chair (or other) and wait a few minutes before wearing them to avoid skin-scent contact.
- Avoid perfume during flare-ups when the risk of becoming allergic is greater.
- Favor brand-name perfumes that are often less allergenic
- Avoid changing perfumes often; by multiplying perfumes, the risk of encountering a product that is not supported increases.
Can I apply deodorant?
In the same way, avoid using deodorant during periods of flare-ups when the risk of becoming allergic is greater.
- Favor deodorants without perfume and aluminum
- Do not continue using a product that irritates the skin
- Ingrown hairs on the neck and nape
The shaving techniques described above can often solve or reduce the problem. Sometimes, a treatment by depilatory laser is necessary (generally one to three sessions), which refines the hair, makes it thinner, and avoids ingrowth. A dermatologist must carry out this treatment with a suitable laser.
Hair removal for men
For men who depilate, the main complication is folliculitis, an infection of the hair by a bacterium (most often staphylococcus aureus) responsible for small painful white spots at the base of the hair after depilation.
The most effective way to combat this problem is to use diluted bleach (or DAKIN), a technique that is widely used across the Atlantic and is very effective.
In a warm half-bath, pour two teacups of prepared bleach or DAKIN, mix, immerse the area or areas to be depilated for ten minutes, carry out the depilation and immerse the area or areas again for ten minutes. This technique allows gentle and deep disinfection of the hair and avoids folliculitis in most cases.
In case of failure, a consultation with a dermatologist is necessary to complete disinfection and get rid of this sometimes stubborn microbe.