How do I tell the difference between acne and razor bumps?

Sometimes I cut my hair very short with clippers in the lower back of my head, and it always gets red and some zits form in the area. Are these razor bumps or just pimples?





I use an andis t-outliner clipper which cuts it almost bald.|||This is gonna sound stupid, but try it. Zits are a skin condition from a combination of age, diet, skin care. sometimes stress, etc. Stop clipping for a while, about 10 to 14 days. Try not to change anything else. If you still have the problem, it's zits. (If you don't get them anywhere else, that's one strange set of zits!)





I'm 46 and get zits. Only on the back of my head and above my ears where my helmet rubs all the time. (I ride a bike all the time. Don't own a car.) I pop them in the morning, jump in the shower and use an antibacterial soap, then put St. Ives on the spots. No pain, and you have to look close to see the spots.





By the way, do you wear a hat all the time? Or possibly a helmet? In a hot, humid, climate? (I'm in Florida. That's probably why I get the skin trouble.)





Don't let anyone kid you. I was in the service and saw some people that never shaved before. They had what the medics called "bumps". Well, when them suckers broke open, they spewed pus like a waterfall! Bumps are caused by an ingrown hair. Zits are just irritated or infected pores.|||Razor bumps dont spew white mucus|||It could be either or even a mix of both.





If the bumps are small, rash-like and hard then it's most likely razor burn. If the bumps are varying sizes, 'poppable', and filled with white/yellow fluid, they're most likely zits.





Try not cutting the area for a short while and see if the bumps return or not. If it turns out to be razor burn, use a good calming lotion with aloe vera to help heal the area. If it seems morel ikely that the bumps are zits, make sure you keep the scissors you're using clean, change your pillowcases often and use an anti-bacterial body or face wash on the area.