Men are notorious for skimping on our skin maintenance routines. Skin care has not been considered manly, and the label “beauty product” has not helped to get us close to moisturizers, face washes and the like.
Now, things have changed quite a lot, and a weathered, leathery face is not what we want to sport anymore, nor what women prefer.
But what are the bare essentials of skin care? Is there a simple routine to improve the health of our skin without going overboard?
According to Dr. Linda Franks, you’re already on the right track; just by shaving, you are exfoliating dead skin cells and encouraging the production of collagen, a key protein to maintaining skin’s elasticity and youthfulness.
In addition to this, keep your face clean. Testosterone gives men oilier, acne-prone faces. Don’t use your wife’s cleanser either. Take advantage of products specifically designed for men; these are engineered to work with our face’s chemistry and will get the job done better. Dr. Franks explains how to get the best out of them:
If you’re using a cleanser, it has to have some contact time on your face. You can’t put it on and then immediately rinse it off, because — as I like to say — you’re treating your drain rather than your skin. So if you’re using a cleanser, [wait] a long, 30-second dwell time on your face as you clean. Better yet would be to use one of those medicated pads, something that has glycolic acid or salicylic acid in it, or even a leave-on moisturizer that has an acne product.
Lastly, don’t forget to apply a lotion with an SPF of at least 15, to protect your face from the damaging effects of UV light. The easiest way is to use a moisturizer with sunscreen.
Via ny1.
