Small blood spots on face after shaving. Will these scar?

Hey guys,

So I shaved for the 2nd time with a DE razor (1904 Merkur). Much better than the first time. But I have noticed 10 or 15 pinhead size blood drops on my 3rd pass against the grain, especially in the mustache area.

What causes these? Will these create permanents scars?

(the blood drops went away after I shaved my face and didn't come back)

Thanks.

Unlikely. Too much pressure with the razor. Don't try for an ATG pass yet - your face isn't ready with your current ability.

Many moons ago I butchered my face with a (what turned out to be a blunt) plastic throw-away. Was so bad I ended up using small bits of tissue stuck on the bleeding spots until the dried out... No scars, though.

I very much doubt you'll have a problem - what you describe sounds like 'weepers' and we all have them at one time or another. Drubbing is probably bang on the mark here - too much pressure, but only you know your shave.

I still get them myself on occasion - usually from rushing and being to aggressive with the strokes. Normally, my last step (after washing all remaining soap of with warm water) is rinse my face with cold water. This usually stops them dead.

Otherwise, I always have a styptic pencil at hand (so far it doesn't get used much) however, after saying that I'm wondering if my next shave will be a spoke to soon.

Regarding ATG passes - how smooth are you getting before you head that way?

spalsh on some witch hazel on those weepers and you'll be okay.

Best thing to do is apply a styptic to those tiny spots. That stops the bleeding instantly and prevents them from scabbing.

Dont be frustrated. Its the lack of experience.

You only had 2 shaves....you will need much more in order to gain experience and end up with a smooth shave

I had the same trouble when going against the grain on the moustache area when I first started - my hair is too thick and course there. So, I started going only with and across the grain there for a long time and now only lightly go against the grain from time to time. I apply zero pressure and get a very good shave on the upper lip, with no more weepers.

These little cuts should not scar.

Thanks for the replies guys

Btw, what is witch hazel? I don't think I ever saw that up here in Canada.

You should be able to get witch hazel up there in Canada. In most drug or discount stores its right in the same area as rubbing alcohol.

It has antiseptic qualities and is very good for the skin, especially after shaving. It contains some alcohol, but it is cooling for your face, and won't burn like rubbing alcohol. Regular witch hazel doesn't have any smell, and some people use it as an aftershave.

dpmtherrien said:

You should be able to get witch hazel up there in Canada. In most drug or discount stores its right in the same area as rubbing alcohol.

It has antiseptic qualities and is very good for the skin, especially after shaving. It contains some alcohol, but it is cooling for your face, and won't burn like rubbing alcohol. Regular witch hazel doesn't have any smell, and some people use it as an aftershave.

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Is there any specific brand I should be looking for?

Shoppers Drug Mart carries super inexpensive Witch Hazel under the Life brand in the "First Aid" section, I believe.

warlandsboy said:

Shoppers Drug Mart carries super inexpensive Witch Hazel under the Life brand in the "First Aid" section, I believe.

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+1 Right next to the Rubbing Alcohol.

I usually get the same thing too and always in the same spot. On the neck to the right of the adam's apple. I always get nicks or weepers or whatever you want to call them there. I think I just need more practice and a lighter touch in that area.

dpmtherrien said:

Regular witch hazel doesn't have any smell, and some people use it as an aftershave.

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Correction: Regular witch hazel doesn't ADD any smell. It has it's own (very fleeting) smell that some people will not tolerate. I happen to like it, it's kind of a tannic odor. It fades to nothing in >3 minutes.

Look for it in the pharmacy section of your local drug store or grocery. As previously stated, it should be in the same area. If you've never used it before, just get the cheap stuff for a couple of dollars.

As to brand, there are some non-name brands, which work just as well as the name-brand plain witch hazel. Thayer's witch hazel with aloe gets a lot of good press around these parts, but I think that's probably more of a specialty item, and not as likely found locally.

+1 on the Witch Hazel recommendation...And don't worry about any scarring, your just not experienced yet. Just keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it in no time.

Thanks again everyone. What a wonderful place this forum is

witch hazel is great, all i need as an aftershave. check out health food stores.

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Thayer's make scented witch hazels which are apparently quite popular although I've never tried them, I'm very happy with my generic witch hazel (you can even buy it in supermarkets in the uk) - no need for any branded stuff.

Just a couple of errors in previous posts - witch hazel does not contain alcohol so it won't burn at all although it does give me a pleasant "tingle" and it has a very pleasant (but subtle and fleeting) scent. I don't consider a shave complete without it.

Btw, does witch hazel dry, or does it stay greasy like a moistorizer? does it leave any film when it dries?

Plain Witch Hazel in the US actually does contain alcohol, 14% I believe. I don't know what they are selling in the UK or Canada, but it's not the same as what we have here. Also, Thayer's has a non-alcohol witch hazel, but they call it "alcohol free witch hazel toner" or something like that. It also has aloe and glycerin and some other stuff in it.

With generic distilled witch hazel, there should be no film at all. Some guys report a light film with the witch hazel + aloe stuff but I don't have that problem. Even then it's nothing like you would get from an aftershave balm or face moisturizer - it's very light.