Introduction
Nothing spoils your day quite like an itchy beard.
Beard rash is very common and most men lucky enough to have facial hair will likely have experienced it.
For some men, this is mild irritation and itching as a beard grows. This likely represents the disturbance to the skin as the coarse beard hairs emerge.
Another group of men will experience flaking, almost like dandruff of the beard which is annoying but not itchy per se.
A more severe variant of beard rash is a persistent combination of pain, irritation, redness, itching and flaking. This is a more annoying feature of beard maintenance and can require some help.
Finally, beard rashes can extend to the face and neck more broadly including the neck beard.
What causes beard rash
Beard rashes are usually caused by trauma or infections of the hair follicle after shaving. Curly hairs in particular, which are frequent on the neck, curl back into the hair follicle and then trap some bacteria. An infection of a hair follicle is called folliculitis.
Folliculitis Barbae: is a bacterial infection of the hair follicles. Little red lumps appear, often with pustules and do not go away. They can be in one patch or all over the beard.
Pseudofolliculitis barbae is irritation of the hair follicles due to a trapped beard hair. After shaving, the beard hair will regress into the follicle beneath the skin and trap some dirt. This will cause it to go red. It usually disappears after a while, however may become folliculities barbae if an infection proceeds.
Seborrheic dermatitis is dandruff of the beard; this occurs due to a yeast infection of the oil that is produced to protect the beard. This causes redness and flaking
What are the complications of beard infection?
Follicullitis of the beard can cause pustules, spreading infection (that looks like acne) and even scars. After recovery, it is not uncommon for the spots to become darker.
Treatment of the remaining scars is best done by resurfacing fractionated laser or the use of a retinol cream.
How can I prevent beard infections?
The general principle is to decolonise the skin from any organisms which may tend towards a follicle infection. The regular use of a cleanser or antifungal tends to help clear cellular debris blocking follicle oil units (sebaceous glands) as well as protect from infection.
Some options include ketoconazole shampoo or a cleanser.
If you are prone to beard infections, it is recommended to:
- Use a moisturiser on the area, particularly one which exfoliates such as moisturisers which contain glycolic acid, vitamin c (Ascorbic Acid) or a weak retinol (sparingly)
- Shave every second day
- Shave with the grain, not against the grain to avoid damaging the hair follicle
- Cleanse the skin with a good foam
- Use electric hair clippers or a single blade to leave the hair a little longer
- Use sterile blades or place them in boiling water to clean them before using
How can I treat a beard infection?
In addition to the above measures:
Use of a mild steroid + tretinoin (retinol) + benzyl peroxide will help settle the oil and infection
Blue light therapy may be helpful
Dandruff can be treated with an antifungal cream and steroid cream or Nizoral shampoo
In some cases, antibiotics may be required
