Skincare matters for everyone of any age and of any gender. Now, I know that those skincare ads you see on TV are usually not men's skincare products, but some of them should be. It’s not only women’s skin that is affected by the elements. It’s important that men are provided an adequate amount of skincare products as well.
Signs of aging, dryness, exposure to the sun (cold and wind too), and blemishes are all examples of issues that proper skincare can diminish greatly or vanish entirely. The goal is to be comfortable in your skin and not have to deal with skincare issues that could be easily avoided with proper care. So, today I’m going to walk you through some easy skincare steps that don’t take up much time, the benefits of each, and why they’re just as great for men.
Signs of Aging
I’d like to start with signs of aging because I think it’s really crucial to our skincare routines that we all understand how our skin ages. The fact of the matter is, you cannot stop your skin from aging. Unfortunately, there is no secret serum that we can use to stop the clock dead in its tracks — at least not yet. However, what you can do is stop your skin from aging more quickly.
As your skin is exposed to things like the harsh sun, wind, and cold, it does its best to recover and heal quickly, but it doesn’t always do the best job on its own. The goal of your skin is to heal swiftly. It wants to get rid of sunburns, deep dry patches, and irritation in a hurry, and as a result, your skin might not be as strong and healthy as it could be. You might see lots of flakiness, redness, and spots that maybe weren’t there before your exposure.
It is because your skin is so efficient at healing that these “mistakes” can happen. When you burn your skin, that damage can affect many layers of your skin. Your body does its best to heal the skin and rid itself of the dead, damaged layers. When it does, your body is forced to expose sensitive layers of skin that weren’t quite ready to head to the surface. These fresh layers are very apt to spotting, creasing, breaking, and wrinkling. So, essentially, even after your skin heals itself up, there can be some damage left behind.
The goal here, to slow your skin from signs of aging, is to better protect it from the elements. Of course, signs of aging and wrinkling are going to happen whether we like it or not. However, if you can take good care of your skin with sunscreen, lotions, oils, and/or treatments, you can make a huge difference to the quality of your skin.
What you can do about it: First and foremost, I highly suggest that you start moisturizing your skin today. If you haven’t already been doing this, It’s imperative that you do so in order to protect your skin. Even a small, thin layer of facial lotion can protect your skin from harsh UV rays, wind, and cold. Your skin will look healthier, it will be softer, and much less flaky. I suggest finding one that has a small amount of UV protection no matter what season it is — the sun is out all year round. This first step can solve a lot of problems in one go, so check out some facial moisturizers first. I’d say that moisturizing is arguably the most important step, so if you do nothing else — please moisturize. However, this next step will make everything else you do that much more effective.
Blemishes
Zits, blackheads, pimples — these are in the realm of what I call “blemishes.” They are the icky areas that we all wish we could rid ourselves of. Blemishes are usually spots on our skin that have been clogged due to bacteria, dirt, or other debris and pollutants in the air. Sometimes these might go away on their own, but oftentimes they do not. You need a certain something that will wash away all that nasty stuff that is sitting on top of the skin and will also penetrate into your blemishes to break them up, neutralize them, and help them heal quickly.
What you can do about it: The best thing you can do for blemishes is to get a nice facial cleanser. Find something that is gentle but effective at clearing away everything that’s been sitting on your skin all day. Try to find something with limited, natural ingredients that you can understand (tea tree, rosemary, and citrus fruits are great for banishing blemishes). This really goes for any skincare product, but I think it’s doubly important for cleansers. Cleansers with a bunch of unnecessary gunk and junk that you don’t recognize are not going to clean your skin like you want, which an essential step to any skincare routine. So, make sure to thoroughly read the labels on your products.
It’s the base of the skincare pillar, if you will. It’s what makes your moisturizers and treatments actually penetrate the skin. If you have a bunch of oils, dirt, and bacteria sitting on top of your skin and you try and moisturize or use a treatment on top of that, it’s just not going to be very effective. You can use it in the morning or at night, whichever you prefer, but I suggest cleansing your skin once per day whenever it’s most convenient for you.
Dryness, Spots, & Discoloration
Dryness is an extremely common skin complaint, and as we learned earlier, it can contribute to early signs of aging if it’s not taken care of with proper moisturization. However, some people suffer from chronic dryness. If you feel like your skin is always dry no matter what you do, even maybe to the point of cracking, you might need a bit more than just a facial lotion.
What you can do about it: I suggest that you look into deeper moisturization techniques, like a facial treatment or a facial oil. Of course, if that sounds like too much for you, then I’d say to look into a thicker, more powerful moisturizer for sure. However, a treatment or oil can really lock in moisture in a way that lotions cannot. I love facial oils because they are no nonsense. They put direct moisture back into your skin and penetrate all layers of your skin deeply. The effect is instant and long lasting. As far as a treatment goes, you could look into a very moisturizing mask. These can be done weekly (sometimes more) to soften, rejuvenate, and replenish dry skin.
What I mean by “spots” is dark spots, discoloration, and red spots. This is separate from blemishes or signs of aging. This more has to do with blotches around the face, if you notice you have patches of redness or dark spots (it’s very common under the eyes). This is a very popular problem among people of all skin types and sometimes it’s a very hard problem to remedy. However, treatments can be quite effective at treating some of the symptoms.
What you can do about it: First, drink lots of water and always get good rest. When the skin is dehydrated from lack of water or sleep, it can sometimes begin to discolor, most commonly under the eyes. So, that is a great first step toward ridding yourself of spots and discoloration. Second, you can try some facial treatments that will help with exfoliation and clearing discoloration. Masks or cleansers with soft exfoliants (not microbeads or plastic) and brightening ingredients (fruits — like lemon, pineapple, and papaya) will help get rid of dead, dull skin and will help brighten up any dark spots you may have.
When to Ask for a Dermatologist’s Opinion
Here we have listed many good ideas for protecting your skin and getting it back in to shape. However, I just want to stress that if you are experiencing painful or unusual symptoms on your skin, always go see a dermatologist. If you’re ever unsure about an ingredient that you’re afraid could potentially irritate your skin, I suggest either not using it at all or ask your dermatologist about it. Any unusual or excessive signs of redness, dryness, flakiness, rashes, cracking, or painful and chronic acne that doesn’t want to go away should first be examined by a medical professional — your dermatologist. These tips are meant for those who are not experiencing extreme symptoms in their skin or who have had those medical issues cleared with a professional. These are supplementary steps to keeping your skin clean, healthy, and bright. They are not to be used as medicinal advice for any reason.
However, with that being said, using these suggestions listed above can truly save your skin from unnecessary damage, dryness, blemishes, and spots. A good skincare routine doesn’t have to take a lot of time out of your day. All of these steps can be performed either in the shower, right after, or whenever you have just a few minutes to complete a treatment. Your skin will look and feel better than it has before and it will thank you for the much needed attention.
About the Author
Trisha is a freelance writer from Boise, ID. She is a dedicated vegan who promotes an all-around healthy lifestyle. You can find her on twitter @thatdangvegan and check out her blog thatdangvegan.com
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