A person can develop beard burn when their skin comes into contact with another person’s facial hair. Treatment options include include moisturizers, aloe vera products, topical corticosteroids, and oatmeal baths.

Beard burn is a specific type of rash. It can occur when a person’s skin rubs against somebody else’s beard, causing friction. Specifically, beard burn can develop as a result of kissing or receiving oral sex.

Keep reading to learn more about beard burn, including causes, symptoms, and treatments.

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A burn is an injury to the skin. Heat, radiation, radioactivity, electricity, chemicals, and friction can all cause burns.

Beard burn is a specific type of burn. Friction due to contact with facial hair causes beard burn.

Beard burn is a type of irritant contact dermatitis. This mostly appears as an inflamed, dry, itchy patch of skin.

If it is severe, beard burn can cause a rash that can become swollen and painful.

Beard burn mostly appears on the lips and face or on the outer parts of the genital area.

Friction between one person’s beard and another person’s skin causes beard burn. There are two main causes of beard burn: friction from kissing and friction from receiving oral sex.

Beard burn mostly appears as an inflamed, dry patch of skin. This can be present on a person’s face, lips, or outer genital area.

Beard burn can also cause a rash that is itchy and sometimes painful.

Severe beard burn can cause a rash that can swell and cause more pain.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, a person should contact a doctor if they have a rash that:

  • is severe and causes the skin to become raw or blistered
  • causes the skin to ooze
  • causes a very intense itch
  • does not clear within a few weeks

Severe beard burn can cause the skin to become inflamed and more painful.

Beard burn may also damage the skin to such an extent that it can lead to open sores, small cuts, or wounds. Small open wounds and cuts can allow irritants and bacteria to enter the body.

A cut in the skin in the genital area can allow certain pathogens to enter the body. This can make a person vulnerable to a number of sexually transmitted infections, including gonorrhea and chlamydia. These infections can enter the body through small cuts in the skin.

There are two main ways to prevent beard burn: removing the beard or avoiding intimate acts such as kissing and engaging in oral sex.

The following sections will look at these options in more detail.

Removing the beard

If a person who has a beard is kissing or performing oral sex on another person, it may cause beard burn. That person can prevent this from happening by removing their beard.

That said, longer facial hair can cause less friction than shorter facial hair. So, an alternative to removing the beard would be to allow it to grow slightly longer.

Avoiding kissing and oral sex

A person can prevent beard burn by stopping the activities that cause it. This may mean refraining from kissing and receiving oral sex from a partner with a beard.

Friction between a beard and a person’s skin can cause abrasions to occur. These abrasions often heal without leaving a scar.

To prevent beard burn, a person can stop kissing and receiving oral sex from a person with a beard. If they do this, the beard burn should clear up within a week or two with no treatment.

However, there are some treatment options a person can try to relieve the symptoms of beard burn.

The following sections will look at these options in more detail.

Moisturizing creams

Over-the-counter moisturizing creams can be effective in soothing the skin.

A dermatologist may recommend moisturizer, as it often plays an important part in maintaining skin health and helping treat various skin complaints.

Moisturizers often have anti-inflammatory properties and can help promote wound healing. Therefore, they are often a good choice when it comes to treating the symptoms of beard burn.

Aloe vera products

Aloe vera is a stemless plant that has juicy flesh. It is often an ingredient in skincare products.

Aloe vera extract also has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. This can also assist in wound healing.

There are a number of aloe vera-based skin products on the market. A person can use these products to treat the symptoms of beard burn and other skin conditions.

Corticosteroids

Topical corticosteroids are one of the most common medications that dermatologists prescribe.

They will sometimes prescribe topical corticosteroids to treat beard burn, contact dermatitis, and other skin conditions. These medications have anti-inflammatory properties and can help ease the symptoms of beard burn.

Oatmeal baths

According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, a person can also take an oatmeal bath to ease discomfort.

An oatmeal bath uses colloidal oatmeal. This is different from the type of oatmeal a person would usually eat. People can purchase colloidal oatmeal products at the pharmacy.

A person can mix the colloidal oatmeal with warm water and bathe their skin for the recommended period of time. They should then pat their skin dry with a clean towel.

One 2015 study suggests that oat extracts have direct antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This makes oatmeal baths an effective method for treating the symptoms of beard burn.

Beard burn is a type of contact dermatitis. It occurs when a person’s skin comes into contact with another person’s facial hair.

Beard burn often presents as an inflamed rash that is itchy and dry.

Kissing and receiving oral sex are the two main causes of beard burn. If a person avoids these causes of beard burn, their rash will often disappear within a week or two.

There are a number of treatments available for the symptoms of beard burn. These include moisturizers, aloe vera products, topical corticosteroids, and oatmeal baths.