Mens Skin Care

January 26, 2009 by skin
Filed under Mens Skin Care

Over the past five years a significant amount of interest has been shown in Men’s skin care, and mens skin care products, more so than any other time in history. Prior to an emphasis in men’s skin care, men were left to shop for Women’s skin care products, and pretend to be purchasing them for the woman in their life, to avoid embarrassment. Or, worse, avoid any skin care regimen at all.

Why Men’s Skin Care?

With this former lack in specialty men’s skin care products, some may wonder how important a daily male skin care regimen actually is. And the answer to that – very important.

Men have major advantage over women when it comes to caring for their skin: exfoliation. While women are left to use harsh exfoliants to remove dull, dead skin cells from the epidermis of their face, men receive a very thorough exfoliation on a daily basis when they shave their face.

However, that is where the advantages end. The facial skin of a Male’s face contains not many similarities to that of a woman. How does a man’s facial skin differ from that of a woman?

The layers of the skin are thicker
Pores are larger
Oil glands are larger and produce much more oil.

Now, let’s discuss a few things that men should NEVER do to their face:

Never use the same bar of soap to cleans your face that you use to cleanse your body. The ingredients in bath soap are very harsh and drying. They will strip your face of natural, necessary oils that keep the face soft, and it will leave an invisible film behind to keep the face looking dull and lack-luster.
Never use hot water to shave or cleanse the face. Hot water will stimulate oil glands to produce more oil than necessary and can damage sensitive blood vessels lying near the skin’s surface creating blotchy, red skin.
Never shave too close to the skin. Although we all want a smooth face free of the slightest bit of stubble, close shaving is the number 1 cause of razor bumps.
Never finish a shave by using an after shave product with a high alcohol content. In addition to drying the face, the alcohol may cause an allergic reaction. Not to mention that it is very painful should you have a small cut or skin irritation.

Here is a list of things every man should include in a skin care regimen:

Find out what type of skin you have: dry, oily, normal, combination, and use skin care products tailored to your particular needs.
Use warm water, or even better, cold water to shave and rinse your face. The lower temperature will save your face from broken capillaries and your oil glands will not go crazy with their oil production. Cold water also helps to close open pores to keep irritation cause by shaving to a minimum.
Consider using a pre-shave product to moisten the skin and soften the beard. It will make shaving easier and will prepare the skin to help avoid razor burn, ingrown hairs, and small cuts and nicks.
After shaving, be sure to rinse the skin thoroughly. Leaving behind small traces of shaving cream and pre-shave products can dry the face.
After shaving, use a soothing cream or gel to help cut down on skin irritation, ingrown hairs, and repair the skin from shaving damage.
Apply a daily moisturizer with an SPF, even if it is only minimal. Any sun exposure during the day opens the skin to damaging UVA and UVB rays which will age the skin and leave you susceptible to melanoma, the most common form of skin cancer. If you use a topical medication for acne or other skin problems, use an even higher SPF as your risk of sun damage is higher.
If you experience skin problems such as acne, bitchiness, frequent breakouts, sunburn, etc. address them with additional products and treatments, in addition to your daily skin care. If you see a mole or freckle emerge, contact your dermatologist immediately to have it inspected to ensure it is not something more than a mole or freckle.

Choosing a Mens Skin Care Product:

Selecting a product line or individual product to use in your daily skin care and shaving routine can be difficult and sometimes even overwhelming because of the number of products on the market today. Almost every skin care company has adopted a men’s skin care product line because of the popularity it has recently received.

For a great mens grooming routine I recommend Mario Badescu Men’s Skincare. The products are not fussy or fragrant, and are especially formulated for men. Best of all, they are not expensive. A lot of men care barely enough about their skin care regimen to actually get the products they need, let alone spending a fortune to do so. These products are for you. Some men are the exception, and these products are definitely for you as well!!

Here is a line up of the products Mario Badescu has available for men:

Select ONE product from each category for a complete skin care system.

MENS CLEANSING PRODUCTS:

Seaweed Cleansing Soap – For ALL skin types.

$12.00 for 8 oz. or $20.00 for 16 oz.