Why does my complexion improve when I grow a beard?

[Cheezy the Wiz]

This is something I've noticed in the past few months. From April to August I grew a beard, a full beard. It was short, well trimmed, but a beard in its own right. During this time I experienced a great lack of pimples on my face. However, come 1 August when I was forced to shave it off, I noticed that my complexion grew increasingly worse. It wasn't full-blown acne, just an increase in the number of pimples I had to deal with, back to my pre-beard levels.

It works against my logic, I would think that a beard would make it worse, for the following reasons:

A beard gives the pimples a place to "grow" where you can't see them until they develop a "head."

I thought a beard might collect sweat and grease in the same way that a row of trees and foliage collects water as it flows downhill.

My question is, why is this so? Is is a coincidence, or is there some real explanation for all this?

 

[Narz]

Weird, my experience has always been the opposite.

 

[DNK]

Well, constantly irritating the hell out of your face with a razor isn't going to help your complexion. I shave once every other day, because otherwise my acne would go nuts on my underchin area. I mean, you are basically scraping skin off your face, which will force a physical response that will involve inflammation, which will clog pores, and of course will damage already clogged pores since they're now raised above the surface, further clogging them.

 

[downtown]

Weird, my experience has always been the opposite.

Yeah, me too...its one of the reasons I don't grow one anymore.

 

[Narz]

The outer layer of skin cells are dead anyway. So shaving should be good for your face (as longer as you create a good lather with soap or cream). This may be one reason why older men (70-80's) often have fewer wrinkles than older women (despite women being basically healthier in general & living longer).

 

[JZ_UK]

I too always see a worsening in my skin when I leave the face spikes growing... how very queer that yours improves =/

I shave every few days, don't have a set routine but it starts doing damage probably around 3mm, and the itching starts driving me mad around 5mm... I've never let the beard get much longer than that, though I have worn a goatee more than once...

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Hmmm, so I'm just weird then.

 

[StarWorms]

I used to get quite a few spots around my chin when I started shaving (electric). Then I switched to a wet shave and I rarely get any anymore. I think the electric shaver must take away some of the moisture on the skin, whereas the gel I use for wet shaving must prevent it, or put some back.

 

[Mango]

Probably because you stopped touching your face with your fingers when you had the beard.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Probably because you stopped touching your face with your fingers when you had the beard.

Just the opposite, I always love to feel it.

 

[JZ_UK]

I actually got a rash of sorts on the back of my left hand and fingers sometime during the revision period this year... I eventually figured out the way I rest my head on my hand + revision period stubble = upset skin on hand lol

 

[Perfection]

Because it's hiding the zits?

 

[dh_epic]

Might be the irritation of the razor. Might be the aftershave or the shaving cream you use. Might be a large number of ingrown hairs, which will happen with short hairs just growing in.

Go with what works, man.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

That happens to me too Cheezy.

It might be:

Because it's hiding the zits?

But it could also be that the dirt and fat get stuck on the beard hairs instead of geting stuck on the skin.

 

[Truronian]

Use a manual razor, if you don't already.