Skin Care Tips For Men

Yeah! Men have skin, too. So why shouldn't they get a few tips...

Compared to ten years ago, I'd have to say that men are becoming more aware of their skin and the need to look after it. Shaving is tough on the face, so a bit of care can go a long way towards skin rejuvenation. And with the campaigns making people aware of the damage that can be done to skin by over-exposure to the sun's UV rays, the idea of applying a sunblock and moisturizer no longer makes macho males go into a state of panic.

For many men, however, skin care is still little more than an afterthought. Skin care is important since our skin is our defense against the outside world. And no-one wants to develop wrinkles before their time.

For those men who are open to suggestions, here are a few simple, inexpensive tips to retaining that younger looking skin.

Shaving

Before shaving, make sure you wet your face with warm water before applying shaving cream. This will allow the razor to glide better across your skin. Take your time while shaving, to reduce the chances of nicking your skin. Rinse with cold water, not hot. And applying after-shave cream or a facial moisturizer is a good idea.

If you use an electric razor, apply lotion before shaving. This will get your whiskers to stand up and allows the shaver to glider over the skin more easily. It will also decrease irritation that can come with electric shaving.

Protection From The Elements

The wind and sun can dry and damage your skin. As part of your morning routine, apply a moisturizer that contains sunscreen. This should be used on all exposed skin such as arms, the backs of your hands as well as your face and neck. This is important if you intend to be outside for an extended period of time. A cream with a minimum SPF factor of 15 should be used. After being in the sun for a long time, use a moisurizer that contains vitamin E.

Diet And Exercise

A balanced diet and staying active are essential. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables, as these will provide you with anti-oxidants that can slow down skin damage. Although natural is best, alternatively, you may consider taking multi vitamins that contain anti-oxidants and vitamin E. Limit your intake of greasy, fried food.

Exercise will help clear your pores and increase your metabolism.

Drink Enough Water

Make sure that you drink lots of water each day. Our body's cells have a high water content, so it makes sense to keep yourself hydrated. Limit your consumption of coffee, tea and alcohol as these tend to dehydrate you.


Men should realize that proper skin care need not take a lot of time. A few minutes a day is all that is required. With just a bit of extra attention, your skin will look healthier and younger.

The New Buzzword - Cosmeceuticals

Derived from a cross between cosmetics anf pharmeceuticals, the term "cosmeceuticals" implies that these anti aging creams are better than ever. Unfortunately, these anti wrinkle products aren't the wonder creams that the cosmetic companies would like you to believe.

In a recent test (2009), French and US organisations jointly tested popular anti wrinkle creams and lotions. On average, each cream was tested on 20 women, aged between 30 and 70 years old, for 3 months.

The results showed that all creams had some benefits on all women, but none of the creams had an effect on all participants. And there seemed to be no correlation between the type of active ingredient and performance, nor did cost relate to performance.

Are We Surprised?

If you've already spent a pile of money on anti wrinkle creams that haven't come up to your expectations, this conclusion won't come as any surprise. But there are several reasons why you may also find cosmeceutical creams don't work for your wrinkles...

Firstly, the science of skin aging isn't simple. There are numerous aspects involved, including varied cell regeneration rates, loss of subcutaneous fat, attack from free radicals, varying hormonal levels and breakdown of skin cell components. Therefore, trying an anti wrinkle cream that targets just one or two of these factors won't benefit other skin ailments that you may have.

Secondly, everybody has different skin types. So, it's logical that different anti wrinkle products will generate different results for different people.

Thirdly, while the results from "scientific studies" may indicate that specific components will work in a laboratory situation, it doesn't guarantee that the product will work when you use it on your skin. More often than not, the active ingredients can't even penetrate your skin. Or the active ingredient may be unstable and deteriorate, thereby not having sufficient concentration to affect your skin. Additionally, other ingredients may hinder the activity and benefits of the prime ingredient.

There are a lot of expensive products on the market that don't do a lot in the way of skin rejuvenation. But, coming out of the wrinkle cream reviews, here are three anti wrinkle products that hold some promise:

• tretinoin (also known as retinoic acid), found in perscription-only creams.
• AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids), but only in concentrations of greater that 10%.
• sunscreen. Try wearing sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat to minimize the amount of skin damage from the sun's UV rays (and it's likely to be the least expensive, too!).

Forms Of Aging And Possible Treatments

There are three main types of skin aging. And each one needs to be treated in a different way from the others.

Firstly, we have the effects from gravity. With any loss of skin elastin or collagen or disappearance of subcutaneous fat, gravity sees an opportunity to step in and take away our younger looking skin. This results in droopy wrinkles and skin folds about the eyes and neck. Surgical procedures for facelifts (essentially, skin tightening) and cosmetic fillers such as collagen and hyaluronic acid are used to undo the effects and provide some degree of skin rejuvenation.

Secondly, with time, facial expressions from frowning, squinting and smiling leave everlasting wrinkles and furrows. Cosmetic fillers such as botox and collagen can be injected to help decrease these type of wrinkles.

Finally, there is damage caused by UV rays, or photoaging. Gradually, this affects the skin, causing fine lines and wrinkles and skin roughness. We also experience pigment changes resulting in age spots and freckles. Some anti wrinkle products can help, and include creams that contain tretinoin, AHA (alpha hydroxy acids), antioxidants and peptides.

Alternatively, skin resurfacing by using acid or laser wrinkle removal techniques are available.

Smoking Causes Wrinkles

Smoking certainly won't give you younger looking skin. This is because smoking causes wrinkles.

Have you ever noticed that people who smoke are likely to have more wrinkles than non-smokers of the same skin type, age and exposure to UV rays? The more cigarettes you smoke and the longer you've been smoking, the more wrinkles you will get. Early skin damage may be difficult to see, but be rest assured, it is happening. Skin changes are more prominent in smokers after about the 10 year mark.

How Does Smoking Cause Wrinkles?

Smoking speeds the aging process of your skin due to the nicotine in cigarettes. The nicotine causes the skin's blood vessels to narrow. This reduces the amount of blood getting to the skin. Less blood flow, less essential oxygen and vital nutrients. And then there are also the hundreds of chemicals in the cigarettes that are detrimental to collagen and elastin. So, consequently, wrinkles begin to form.

And it's not only facial wrinkles. Smoking is also the cause of wrinkles to other areas of your body, such as the arms and neckline. While the skin wrinkles may not be reversible (at least, not without anti wrinkle products), giving up smoking is likely to prevent the them from prematurely getting worse.

So if you are searching for a reason to stop smoking, add the untimely appearance of wrinkles to your motivation list.

Tip 1 - Minimize Sun Exposure (Especially Sunburn)

Do you know the cause of difference in skin "quality" between your face or hands to that of, say, your thigh or butt? Well, the answer is the amount of sun exposure. Yep, that's right. Theoretically, your face/hands/arms/neck could be as smooth as a babies bum if it hadn't been for the many years of damage from the sun!

In the Western countries, suntans are viewed by many as being fashionable and desirable. Unfortunately, this has led to an increase in ultraviolet radiation exposure, both from the sun and from sunbeds.

How does it damage our skin?

Besides the increased risk to skin cancer, over-exposure to UV rays damages the elastin fibers found in the dermis layer of our skin. This causes our skin to lose its flexibility and resilience. As a consequence, wrinkles begin to form.

Sunburn is caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation. This radiation can come from natural sources (such as the sun) or artificial sources (such as welding or UV lamps used in solariums). The melanin in our skin converts the UV rays into heat. The redness from the heat is what we call sun burn.

When our skin senses high levels of UV radiation, our cells produce more melanin to minimize further damage. And, hence, our skin becomes tanned the more time we spend in the sun. But we still need to help the melanin by protecting ourselves from the sun. That's why we should wear sunblock and sunsmart clothes, such as a long sleeve shirt and hat, to stop us from getting excessive sun burn. Numerous episodes of bad sunburn can elevate our likelihood of getting skin cancer, especially when we get older.

The bottom line is that to maintain younger looking skin, you need to minimize your exposure to the sun.