Breakthrough Treatment For Razor Bumps
-- Army Clinical Study is Second to Confirm Efficacy --
Jackson, MS (February 21, 2012) -- The community of dermatologists is changing the way it thinks about topical solutions for Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB) - that's razor bumps or bikini bumps to the lay person. Study results from a seven year study by the United States Army1 show an almost 80% efficacy rate of a shaving system called Shaver's Choice Skin Therapy Shaving System.
These results verify the findings of a previous University of Pennsylvania study that showed a 70% efficacy rate for one of the products in the system, Slick! Shave Gel.
Dermatologists have always held that there was not a topical solution because all the topical solutions available on the retail market are short-term fixes, not a long-term solution. Even prescriptions of steroids only show temporary relief of symptoms of PFB. The military regulations since integration of African-Americans into the armed forces say that only allowing hair growth or laser hair removal will prevent PFB.2
The findings by Dr. Chad Hivnor, Pediatric Dermatologist at Wilford Hall in San Antonio, TX, reveal improvements in both the number of papules and cobblestoning at two-week and six-week intervals. The significance to the military is a multi-million dollar savings every year.
According to a U S Army website, the cost of training a single soldier, depending on his or her career field, ranges from $54,000 to $73,000 to send them to their first duty station3. The Air Force does not publish its training costs but the estimate for training a jet pilot is $1 million. Each year, the military discharges around 1,000 service members with lifetime disability benefits because the soldier, sailor, or airman cannot shave. The savings in troop replacement training costs would be a minimum of $50 million annually to the taxpayer. When you add in a lifetime of disability payments by the VA the sum is staggering4.
When a person is affected by pseudofolliculitis the papules, or pustules, along with the resulting scarring, or cobblestoning, have a negative effect on the seal of a mask around the neck. As little as a 1/16 of an inch air gap can mean contamination to the person wearing a respirator. When a man cannot shave, this affects mission readiness for the military because that service member cannot be deployed to a region where there is likelihood of chemical agents.
The necessity for a close shave extends outside the Department of Defense. While wearing a Chemical Warfare Defense Ensemble may seem uniquely military, many disaster response units in the civilian world use 'clean suits' with respiratory equipment for the same reason - to protect the responders from chemical or biological contamination. Firefighters also wear respirators. Most uniformed agencies, police and fire, also have forced-shave policies, which often deter African-American men from even applying for these jobs.
For an interview with Mr. Michael Van Velkinburgh, President of Shaver's Choice, contact Beth Kellogg at Creative Partners: beth@creativepartnerspr.com
1 To request a copy from The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. go to their media contact page (www.hjf.org/news/aggregator/media-room/media-room/contact-hjf) and ask for WX....
2 Each branch has regulations for the disposition of members suffering from pseudofolliculitis barbae. This is a link to the Navy's. www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/reference/instructions/BUPERSInstructions/Documents/1000.22B.pdf
3 www.2k.army.mil/faqs.htm#costper
4 www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/1089/some-tips-for-filing-a-va-disability-claim/ See "Consider What you want to claim" in the section How You Can Help Yourself and VA
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