Beard Fungus – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

Is your facial skin itchy, inflamed, red, and swollen? Then it's probably a skin fungus, more precisely, a beard fungus ("Tinea barbae"). The good news is that you can do something about it, take preventative measures, and you're not alone. In addition to the inflammation of your skin caused by dermatophytes ("dermatophytosis"), your beard fungus can also be bacterial in origin. In this article, you will learn how beard fungus can occur, how to treat it, and what you can do to prevent it. Even though you must take your beard fungus seriously and it is anything but pleasant, it is often quite harmless, fortunately.

What you can expect:

What is beard fungus and how does it develop? What does beard fungus look like? Treating beard fungus Home remedies for beard fungus Preventing beard fungus FAQ

What is beard fungus ("Tinea barbae") and how does it develop?

In most cases, beard fungus is a deep-seated fungal infection and is often treated with medication. One way skin fungi are transmitted is through physical contact. Especially in warm, humid environments like saunas, public showers, and gyms, dermatophytes thrive, and you can get infected through brief contact with someone. With beard fungus, transmission from animals to humans is also possible. This particularly occurs in rural areas, where, for example, touching an infected animal, often cattle or rodents, and then scratching your chin can be enough. The fungus causing beard fungus is more aggressive than, for instance, athlete's foot, and therefore spreads much more easily. A bacterial beard fungus arises from an infection in your hair follicle. The inflammation manifests as red bumps that later become pus-filled blisters. Additionally, your skin is more sensitive and itchy. This can occur anywhere on the body where hair is removed, including on your face.

What does beard fungus look like?

Red, round patches that scale at the edges and may weep, along with severe itching, characterize beard fungus. If the cause is a fungus, beard fungus can also resemble severe acne, as the infection primarily resides in the hair follicles. The pustules and boils can swell and crust over after pus drains. In rare cases, fever may occur.

How should you treat beard fungus and what helps against beard fungus on the face?

Bacterial beard fungus is treated with disinfectant and antibiotic creams, and if necessary, with antibiotics. For an infection caused by a fungus, an antimycotic (antifungal) cream helps, or in severe cases, an oral antimycotic. Consultation with your dermatologist is important to ensure you get the right ointment for your infection.
It's very important to resist the urge to scratch or squeeze pus-filled boils, as this can spread the infection to other parts of your body and worsen it. Also, refrain from shaving until the inflammation has completely subsided and pay extra attention to hygiene. Towels, pillowcases, and anything that touches your face should always be washed at high temperatures and not used by anyone else.

Products for the right beard care

Home remedies for beard fungus

You should consult your doctor. Home remedies can certainly help, but they should not replace medical treatment. In the meantime, however, you can already do something, or rather, refrain from doing something:

Home remedies & tips

#1: Keep your hands off the razor. Your skin is already extremely irritated, so shaving won't help. However, you can disinfect your razors properly so that the first shave after treatment is not a problem. Of course, you can use beard scissors to trim and shape your beard. That you should wash your hands regularly should be clear – at least since the start of the pandemic.
#2: As an acute remedy, tea tree oil is said to be suitable due to its germ-killing, virus-killing, and antifungal properties. However, as it is also highly irritating to the skin, you should use it highly diluted, for example in almond oil, and then apply the mixture with a cotton swab.
#3: Horsetail from the pharmacy strengthens the skin and tissue and helps wounds heal faster. Brew a tea and wash your face with it, or apply a compress of horsetail tea to the affected area.
#4: Aloe Vera also shines again with its antiseptic effect and can supplement the treatment of your barber's itch. Simply apply a thin layer of aloe vera juice to the affected area and leave it on overnight.
A weakened immune system also makes it easy for barber's itch to take hold, so it makes sense to address this as well.

Preventing beard itch: What to consider in your daily grooming routine

Especially if you have already had barber's itch, it is important to prophylactically prevent re-infection. As a beard wearer, you should adopt a small routine here or adjust your current one. It is important that the previous treatment you discussed with your doctor is completed or that he has given you his OK for a shave.

Hygiene is key

That hygiene is key is certainly nothing new to you. Nevertheless, we would like to emphasize its importance: Do not share your razor. This way you can infect someone or someone else can infect you. If you use a safety razor, change the blades regularly. For a system razor, straight razor, or other razor, disinfect the blades after each shave.

You can also combine a good facial care routine with high-quality, natural products with your shaving routine. Especially natural cosmetic products are your best friends here, because what good is the best grooming routine with inferior care ingredients? Your routine should definitely include the following points:

#1: Wash face with water and a facial cleanser, beard every 2 days with a beard shampoo
#2: Pre-shave routine and, if necessary, a gentle scrub
#3a: Dry shave: First trim depending on beard length

#3b: Soak hair and rub in with a shaving oil
#4: Shave preferably with the grain using sharp blades

#5: Aftershave routine with an aftershave spray or balm
#6: Groom beard with beard oil or similar products

You can find more detailed information and tips in these articles:
➔ Shaving your beard (correctly): In 3 steps to a perfect shave
➔ Facial Care: A Man's Business
➔ Preventing razor burn: 5 tips against razor burn on the neck

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How do you prevent beard itch? Do you have a tip that, in your opinion, belongs to the perfect routine? We look forward to hearing from you on Instagram and Facebook.
Your Brooklyn Soap Academy

FAQ:

Can women get beard itch?

Yes. Barber's itch can occur wherever hair is shaved or otherwise removed, regardless of gender.

Is beard itch dangerous?

Anything can become dangerous. However, with barber's itch, it has to escalate quite a bit for you to worry. Go to the doctor, get advice, and follow the treatment as agreed. Then a proper grooming and shaving routine, and everything will be fine again.

1 term - 2 definitions: beard lichen (plant) vs. beard lichen (skin condition)

The plant “beard lichen” is a popular medicinal plant and has antibiotic, soothing and anti-inflammatory effects. As a tea, it is often used for gall bladder problems and gastrointestinal diseases; in lozenge form, it alleviates tonsillitis, throat infections, and pharyngitis. It grows on trees and is distributed all over the world. This is a homonym, as the plant and skin condition only share their name.