Can upward shaving in mustache area (using pressure with dull blade) cause rheumatism? Suggest some treatment.

Rheumatism or a rheumatic disorder is a medical term for problems of the joints and connected tissues. To answer your question, it is unheard of; in medical science that shaving upwards causes rheumatism, even if it is with pressure using a dull blade. On the contrary, rheumatism is caused by inflammation of the joints, although doctors are not sure what causes the joints to become inflamed.

There are a number of different types of rheumatic disorders and these include:

• Ankylosing spondylitis or rheumatoid spondylitis is a long-lasting and recurrent form of spondylitis. It occurs mainly in males and is perceived by marred maneuverability of the spine.
• Back aches
• Inflammation of a bursa; frequently in the shoulder also known as tendonitis,
• Capsulitis
• Neck aches
• Osteoarthritis: degenerative breakdown of cartilage in the joints; the most frequent form of arthritis taking place usually after adulthood
• Psoriatic arthritis: A kind of rheumatoid arthritis commonly impacting fingers and toes and linked to psoriasis.
• Rheumatic fever: A severe disease mainly affecting little children, distinguished by soreness of the joints and often causing damage to the cardiac valves.
• Rheumatic heart disease: Heart disease caused by repeated sequences of rheumatic fever; distinguished by alterations in the cardiac muscle or scarring of the heart valves causing a reduction of the heart’s ability to pump blood.
• Rheumatoid arthritis: A chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints and pronounced disfigurements.
• Systemic lupus erythematosus: An inflammatory disease of connective tissue with varying characteristics including febrility, enervation, tendency to get tired or lose strength, joint aches and skin lesions on the face or neck or arms.
• Temporal arteritis: Inflammation of the cerebral artery; marked by pain in the head and difficulty in masticating and visual damage.
• Tendonous synovitis: Inflammation of a band of inelastic tissue connecting a muscle with its bony attachment and its enveloping sheath.

In spite of the fact that the various types of rheumatism may have little in common in terms of epidemiology, they have a couple of common characteristics: they give rise to long-lasting and recurrent (though often sporadic) pain, and they are extremely difficult to address. A large number of conventional herbal remedies are usually utilized to deal with rheumatic disorders. Innovative medicine, both traditional and complementary, acknowledges that various rheumatic disorders have varied causes and hence call for individualistic treatment. However, initial medical care of major rheumatic disorders could be taken with painkillers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications also known as NSAIDs. In some cases, more powerful analgesics may be required.

answered by M W

There is no real medical condition or disease known as rheumatism — the term is used colloquially for a large number of medical problems with a variety of symptoms. Most commonly, the term is used to describe arthritis, but also includes other kinds of back, joint, and muscular pains. Since you have not described your actual symptoms, it is not really clear what you are suffering from. However, the common factor in all the disorders grouped under rheumatism is probably chronic pain, and it is extremely unlikely that shaving can cause any such pain in any part of the body.

Shaving upwards in the moustache area would mean shaving against the grain of the hair. It is generally recommended that you do not shave against the grain of your hair as it typically results in more cuts and scratches than usual, as well to ingrown hair, but many men find that they do not get a satisfactorily close shave without doing this. If the pain you describe as rheumatism is in your upper lip, you should try shaving downwards — with the grain of your hair. You may not get as close a shave, but it might be less painful. If the pain decreases within a week of doing this, you should consider continuing to shave downwards, or else keeping a moustache or finding another way to get rid of your hair, such as a depilatory lotion or powder.

answered by G R