shaving and the 'Jason' mask..

Hi Beau, I went through 30 RT last year , like yourself I don’t like electric razor as I never got a close shave. My Radio team did not allow me to wet shave , seemingly if you nick/ cut yourself then it could get infected etc thus stopping RT. Anyway I didn’t shave and trimmed myself with a wee hair trimmer for I suppose designer trouble. I didn’t really need to worry as on Xmas eve for an early present i woke  to find my beard/stubble had all fallen out and I was left with a Hitler style moustache . I didn’t like this look and trimmed it !! Even now 10 months post treatment I’m not shaving anywhere close to what I was pre cancer. I also have very little facial hair from jaw bone down and none on back of my neck. Long winded answer but hope it helps. Unless you have a full on beard I don’t think they mind with mask but I might be wrong 

Hi Brian, how far into treatment were you when you became 'beardless'.. 

Beau Chapeau said:

how important is keeping facial hair under control and the fitting of the mask? Am I over thinking it?

If you have e hair on your neck you might find it's too sore after a few weeks to shave at all. It won't make any difference to the fit of your mask if you let your beard grow. Where the beam hits your skin you might find the hair falls out (temporarily in most cases) anyway

I haven't got a beard but I lost the hair at the nape of my neck. It was all gone by four weeks

Beau Chapeau said:

Hi Brian, how far into treatment were you when you became 'beardless'.. 

so, my best bet is to try and keep it trimmed.. no shaving for 2 months+, my word, I'll look like Billy Gibbons.. lol

Beau, I started treatment last year on 28/11 and as I say 24/12 I woke up to beardless completely , was getting wee bit patchy before that but seriously overnight it fell out. If I didn’t shave for three days before cancer I looked like grizzly Adam’s but beard never came back in same way

Hi Beau Chapeau after you have had your mask made, they won't want you to shave, it could make the mask a bit loose. When I started my treatment I had a nice bushy goatee, by the time I had finished it was a mere wisp of its former self. It took a while to grow back, even now 6 years on, I only have to shave about once a week at the most.

Ray.

old biker said:

even now 6 years on, I only have to shave about once a week at the most.

Silver linings

Hi Beau

I always preferred a wet shave but was advised by cancer support teams that this was a no go.... invested in a sensitive electric razor which proved to be very effective.

Peter 

Good evening Beau, i used to use a wet shave before my operation but like Brian said the risk of cuts can cause problems so i took my consultant's advice and started to use a rechargeable shaver, they are not as good as a wet shave but i still use one because of the nature of the operation i have lost some of my feeling around my chin and neck area. If i remember they prefer facial hair to be minimal because of the mask fitting, although things could have changed since 2008 , i did not suffer from any hair loss thankfully. I think you will also find an electric shaver a lot easier to use and less harsh when having treatment. Good  luck with your mask and treatment, take care.

                                                                                    Chris