Vital Tips on how to shave your armpits

By Dr. Mohan Thomas, Senior Cosmetic Surgeon, Cosmetic Surgery Institute

Shaving your armpits has its own challenges because this area accumulates a lot of oil, sweat and barely sees the light of day. Yes, your arm is one of the most neglected parts of the body.

Shaving or waxing are not the most convenient procedures to get rid of armpit hair. These are passé and are now replaced by a more gentle and painless technique which is known as LASER hair reduction. This procedure gives you a silky-smooth armpit with no more growth and helps prevent razor injuries, burns and pigmentation.

Using razor for your armpits is a strict no. But if you still believe in using razor on your armpits then you should follow these golden rules:

1. Do not use a multiblade razor- Multiblade razor tends to pull and cut the hair very close to the skin which causes the hair to retract under the skin surface, and resulting into ingrown hairs.
2.      Do not use a dull razor- It is suggested to use a sharp razor or an electric trimmer for a clean shave. If you feel that the razor is pulling your hair or not moving smoothly on your skin then it is the right time to replace it.
3.      Soften your hair- There might be a tendency to dry shave the armpit as the area is small but this may cause increased friction burns. The best way is to wet your armpit and soak it in warm water for 2 -3 minutes before shaving. Later, you can shave.
4.      Use a shaving gel- Use shaving gel to maintain moisture and help the razor glide more easily over your skin. Moreover, it will also help youprevent irritation.
5.      Shave the armpit in all directions- Since armpit hairs grow in all different directions, it is important that shaving has to be done in all directions. For shaving the skin should be stretched and short strokes have to be used to shave the hair.
6.      Moisturizing the skin- It is advised not to use an after shave or any application which is alcohol based. One can opt for cream or oil which can retain the moisture. Furthermore,

pigmentation if present can be treated by a combination of LASER, peels and oral consumption of anti-oxidants. These over a long term will reduce the pigmentation and improve the skin.

Take-away message: See to it that you adhere to these simple yet useful shaving rules. Avoid going overboard, and doing it the wrong way as it can lead to cuts, minor injuries and trauma.