Some of us get razors onto the armpit on a daily basis, with the rest of us underarm-shavers not lagging too far behind. Researchers at beauty brand Dove have found out the ugly truth about shaving our underarms, revealing that many women are blissfully unaware of the harm hair removal can cause and how to take care of the skin affected.
The most common short-term outcome from shaving is erythema. Sounds scary, but truth be told, most of us have probably had it or will have it at some point in our lives from getting a little razor-happy. Leading to redness and dryness, erythema is three times more likely to be found in women than men.
The reason our skin’s getting so irritated is because the shaving process actually removes the stratum corneum, a fancy term for the uppermost layers of our skin. Apparently, we’re shedding over 30 percent of skin debris when we shave, with repetitive shaving leading to inflammation, redness and soreness, as well as weakening the skin’s function as a protective barrier.
The good news is, it’s actually pretty easy to reduce the likelihood of irritation by choosing a moisturising deodorant that helps the skin repair itself, resulting in softer, smoother underarms. Now we can all jump with joy and show off our good-looking armpits while doing so.
