Nofu Chronicles #7 - Curved Follicle + Pseudofolliculitis Barbae + Acne Keloiditis

Very quickly, I would learn that my boss specialized in African American clients' ingrown hairs (Pseudofolliculitis Barbae), and bumps on the back of the scalp (Acne Keloidalis). 

Pseudofolliculitis Barbae is typically caused by curly hair becoming trapped under the skin after shaving too closely, tweezing, or waxing. It commonly occurs in the beard area from using a shaver with multiple blades or getting a straight edge shave at the barber shop. These practices are considered major "no-no's."  The closer the shave, the higher likelihood of ingrown hairs. Using a razor with five blades cuts the hair so close that it gets cut beneath the skin, preventing it from growing out. Instead it grows under the skin, leading to ingrown hairs. I refer to this as a "bee's nest." The barber can also shave the skin too close as they do not always go with the grain, but against the grain. This once again leads to, too close a shave and ingrowns. 

I once had a male client who had tweezed half of his entire beard, mistakenly believing that the hair wouldn't grow back. It took me months to release all of his ingrown hairs, but, eventually, we succeeded and he returned back to his happy self. He realized that he would never achieve the close shave he desired. From then on, he relied on a single blade, as it doesn't cut the hair below the skin's surface. Another option was using the clippers on a very low setting. 

Soon there would be a lawsuit in Oakland involving the people who worked at the Fire Department. Apparently there was a law requiring everyone to have a close shave. This was extremely problematic with those who had the curved follicle. It does not feel good to have a bee's nest on your face, as it is extremely itchy and painful. Eventually the rules changed as it was proven to be a true medical condition. This ruling would have an impact all over the world. 

Acne Keloidalis is a condition caused on the back of the scalp region, close to the neck. The cause is dirty clippers at the barber shop. When one person comes in with it and the clippers are not cleaned, it is transferred to the next person. Not everyone has keloid skin (raised scarring), but some do. This is a medical condition that can be very painful as well as affecting self esteem. You can get rid of the active infection with acne medication and peels. The keloids stay.