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February 7th, 2012
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Skin Care for Men

Posted on Apr 27 in Skincareby QV SkincarePrintText Resizer Text Resizer

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There was a time when skin care for men meant worrying about their zits, combing their hair, and splashing on some musky aftershave lotion. A guy might sneak a look at himself in a store window if he thought no one was looking, but anything more than that was a sign of excessive vanity.

The good news for guys is that they are now much freer to pay attention to their skin and its appearance, and that gives them a better chance to keep their skin healthy. It also allows them to join women in an obsessive, even masochistic pursuit of physical perfection — and to spend thousands of dollars on Botox treatments, hair removal (or transplantation), and facials in the process. Skin treatments, cosmetic products, and even cosmetic surgery are now, for better or worse, a man’s domain too.

“Men are now getting facials. Men get their backs waxed. We see plenty of men doing laser hair removal on their backs,” says David Green, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. “Men are getting Botox treatments at a much higher rate than you imagine.”

Vested interests aside, dermatologists see the overall trend as positive. “The health of [men's] skin matters,” Green says. “Taking care of one’s skin will reduce the incidence of skin problems.”

Too much ultraviolet exposure from the sun, for example, can result in premature wrinkles, broken blood vessels, permanent ruddiness, and rough, scaly skin, Green warns, and can eventually lead to skin cancer. Poor skin care can also produce or exacerbate acne, which can be disfiguring. So here’s what you can do to make the most out of what you’ve got.

Safeguard your skin from the sun

Whether you’re male or female, young or old, Public Enemy Number One of skin is the sun. The symptoms of aging skin — wrinkles and brown spots, sagging and splotches — all are caused or aggravated by solar exposure. “If no one was ever exposed to the sun, we wouldn’t have these problems,” says Arielle Kauvar, MD, founding director of New York Laser & Skin Care and a clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York University School of Medicine.

Her observation also holds true for serious problems like skin cancer in its most dire form, melanoma. For various reasons, possibly including the thinning of the ozone layer, the incidence of melanoma has increased six-fold since 1950.

So what’s a guy to do for protection? Wear sunglasses and keep your skin covered during the heat of the day. Wear a hat when you’re at the beach or in the sun for long periods off time. And, above all, slather on the sunscreen. Kauvar recommends choosing a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) rating of at least 20 that has broad spectrum UVB and UVA coverage. “Men of Celtic extraction — red hair, green eyes, very little melanin in skin — have to be even more vigilant about sun exposure, because they have a greater risk of sun damage, skin cancer, and melanoma,” says Green.

And when should you wear sunscreen? “Every day of the year,” Kauvar says.

Be kind to your face and skin

Although men generally pay less attention to their skin than women do, they actually have some advantages in the healthy skin department. Male skin tends to be thicker, oilier, with larger pores and less tendency to wrinkle until late in life than women’s skin. That’s partly because men have more testosterone circulating in their bodies, says Green. Facial hair also helps the male face resist some of the ravages of aging, because the hair follicles and oil glands make it more resilient and self-lubricating, Kauvar points out.

But these advantages can be offset in men who have a tendency toward facial abuse: Some put sunscreen on their bodies but not their faces. They use harsh detergent soap that dries out their skin. They shave in the wrong direction. If they get a little acne, they squeeze and pop. So be gentle, guys.

Go with the grain — and other fine points of shaving

Experts agree: Shaving against the grain is a bad idea. It can rough up your face and increase the chances of ingrown hair, especially for African American men and others whose facial hair is curly. Do your shaving after you shower, when your skin is really moist. Lather up well; don’t shave dry. Rinse out the razor frequently to dislodge the bits of whisker that get lodged between blades — this will help prevent nicking your face. And did we mention going with the grain? (OK, if you’re really obsessive and there’s a special occasion and you just HAVE to get a super-close shave, you can minimize the risks of shaving against the grain by first shaving with it. That way you reduce the density of the hair you’re trying to cut before you go back against the grain and lop off those last bits of stubble. But don’t make this a habit.)

Please don’t squeeze the pimples

Yeah, we know, pimples look, well, dorky, and have a way of making grown men (and women) feel like they’re in high school again. But squeezing or popping them is a bad idea. Here’s what the American Academy of Dermatology has to say on the subject: “Do not pick, scratch, pop, or squeeze pimples yourself. When pimples are squeezed, more redness, swelling, inflammation, and scarring may result.”

Contrary to popular opinion, pimples are not directly caused by a bad diet or by dirty skin, although they can be aggravated by humid weather and how you wash your face. The widely cited culprits include hormonal changes and certain medications like antidepressants and hormones. But washing too often or too vigorously can make things worse. Best advice: Ride out the occasional pimple and remember it will be gone soon. If you get them often, consult your family doctor or a dermatologist. Skin conditions such as acne or rosacea are relatively common in adults, and your doctors can often suggest or prescribe medications that can help.

Try a little tenderness

Healthy skin is moist, not dry. Yet many guys choose soaps that suck moisture from the skin like a desert sun at high noon. “Men want to be manly and use Irish Spring soap everywhere,” says Kauvar. But it and most other bar soaps — such as Dial, Lever, and even Ivory — are really detergents and are “terrible for the skin,” she says.

Green is a bit more tolerant: he says most guys can get away with using soap — unless they have sensitive skin. If they do, he warns, a mild non-soap cleanser is just what the doctors ordered. (Some dermatologists advise men to use soap only to wash the groin and armpits.)

As we age, our skin is slower to slough off old, dead skin cells and tends to become dull and less luminous. Exfoliating the skin — removing the old layers of dead skin cells — can help maintain a youthful glow.

Chemical exfoliants are lotions or creams that contain ingredients like alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs) or vitamin A products. These work well for some people, though they can be very irritating for those with sensitive skin. You can also use a physical exfoliant, a scrub that contains tiny bits of gritty material such as ground-up almond shells or tiny synthetic grains. Abrasive sponges like loofahs may also help smooth the skin.

Last, but not least: Pay attention to changes in your skin

Unfortunately, a lot of men don’t tend to pay close attention to their skin, notes Kauvar. That means they can miss important changes such as an oddly shaped mole that might be a sign of skin cancer. Her advice: “If you have a new mole, a changing mole, or a new growth, have it checked if it lasts longer than a month — especially if it’s bleeding or sore.”

The bottom line on skin care for men: Keep your skin moist, treat it kindly, and protect it from the sun. What could be more manly that that?

cvshealthresources: Lifestyle & Wellness: Skin Care for Men

28th April 2009

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Entry Details: This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 00:08, by QV Skincare, and is filed under Skincare. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Print This!

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