What Should You Check the Scalp for Before a Shave?

The answer is hypertrophies. Milady's shave-preparation guidance instructs barbers to check the hairline and neck areas for moles, warts, or other hypertrophies before beginning a shave — the book's own wording is specific to the neck shave passage, though the same principle of checking skin for growths applies to any shave, including the head.

Hair growth pattern is a real, separate step the book calls for elsewhere — used to identify grain changes before shaving, not to spot skin irregularities. The distinction matters on the exam: growth-pattern analysis is about direction, while a hypertrophies check is a genuine skin-safety step, done first, before the razor ever touches the area.

Source

Milady Standard Barbering, 6th ed., Ch. 13 (Shaving and Facial-Hair Design), p. 349: "Be sure to check the hairline and neck areas for moles, warts, or other hypertrophies before beginning the neck shave."

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