Four Step Facial Care for Men

Today more than ever, men are concerned with skin care and taking care of their skin. Most skin care lines are geared toward women and concerns that women have with skin health, while few are geared towards men’s skin health. The following are easy and fast tips for men to follow to start taking care of their skin, without the confusion of too many products or steps. Men’s skin care should include a daily face wash, a mild facial scrub, proper shaving techniques, and a moisturizer containing sunscreen.

Face Wash

Men should cleanse their skin with a mild facial cleanser morning and night. Cleansers should contain cleansing agents and be mild with moisturizing ingredients that help balance skin ph levels. Cleansing, morning and night, will remove excess oil and dirt, keeping pores clear and skin less prone to break outs.

Facial Scrub

A mild facial scrub that contains micro beads or exfoliating components such as papaya seeds can aid in over all skin health and shaving irritation. A facial scrub can be used a few times a week. A good tip is to leave the scrub in the shower and use on days following shaving. Scrubs help to shed dead skin and keep pores free of debris. Using a scrub a few times a week will also reduce ingrown hairs.

Proper Shaving Techniques

Whether you choose a wet shave or electrical, the skin should be cleansed prior to shaving. If using the traditional wet shave techniques, cleanse the skin first and use a shaving gel or cream to reduce irritation, cuts and skin snags. Shaving gels aid the blade over the skin causing the razor to catch the hairs and not the skin. For electrical shavers, cleanse and dry the skin and be sure that the blades of the electrical shaver are properly cleansed and sanitized. Electrical shavers can harbor bacteria that can then be transferred to the skin, causing irritation. An after-shave or mild facial moisturizer should always be applied after shaving. . After shaves often contain ingredients that will help reduce irritation and sooth the skin, while a moisturizer will sooth and hydrate the area.

Moisturizer with Sunscreen

As men tend to have more oily skin than women, a morning moisturizer containing a sunscreen is usually enough to properly moisturize men’s skin. However, if moisturizing at night is preferred, choose a light moisturizer that does not contain sunscreen. A day time moisturizer with sunscreen will protect the skin from the harmful effects of the sun, while moisturizing and hydrating the skin, leaving it healthy and smooth. A night moisturizer would follow a night cleanse and would be beneficial for older men or men that have a drier skin type. The same moisturizer can be used day and night if it does not contain sunscreen, however a sunscreen should then be applied over the moisturizer during the day.

While it is widely known that most men will not take the same amount of time women may to take care for their skin, these tips are the basics to a great complexion for any man. With a little bit of discipline, any man can have younger-looking, smoother skin too.

By Tiffany Oney

Tiffany Oney is a licensed esthetician, professional makeup artist and natural skincare authority.  She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies California State University, Long Beach and interning with Vivoderm Natural Skincare in Los Angeles, California.

Dry Skin Tips and Facts

Dry Skin?
Dry skin is a problem not just in the winter with its cold temperatures, and howling winds, but dry skin can come from using harsh cleansers, having too hot a bath or even getting on an airplane. Here are a few tips to help you minimize that annoying, itchy dry skin: If you want more skin care tips, visit www.DermatologyCare.ca .

Form a Barrier:
Moisturizers are designed to reduce water loss from the epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin). In addition to preventing further dryness, they provide a barrier against soot and dirt, make your pores seem smaller and offer a temporary feeling of smoothness.
Say “No” to Hot Baths

Don’t take long, hot baths because this can exacerbate dry skin in the winter months. Instead try short, lukewarm baths or showers. When you get out of the shower, gently pat dry your skin and then moisturize right away.
Moisturize! Moisturize!

A moisturizer is essential - A moisturizer performs several important functions. It replaces lost water and water-binding ingredients (such as glycerin) help keep it in the skin. Find products like Olay® Ribbons, that cleanse and moisturize, saving you one extra step.
Your Skin Wants Water!

Drink lots of water - Increase your body’s natural moisture level by staying hydrated throughout the day.
Dry lips?

Licking them won’t bring relief - it will only make them more dry and chapped. To keep your lips soft and smooth, apply a moisturizing lip salve, especially before bed.
Careful How You Cleanse

With the cold, harsh, dry winter, using mild cleansers on the skin will help prevent against dry, itchy skin.

To Shower or Bathe?
Do you have dry skin? Try showering or bathing every other day instead of daily. This will help your skin maintain the oils that are so essential to great-feeling skin.

“Airplane” Skin
Does your skin and hair feel tight or dry when you get off of an airplane? The humidity on a plane can reach as low as 1% humidity on long flights and it can take just a 3 hour flight to sap all the moisture from your skin and hair. So stay hydrated during and after your flight, limit your intake of coffee and alcohol - they just make things worse, carry your moisturizer in your hand luggage to slather on mid flight and before you deplane, splash your face with water and follow by your moisturizer.

Seal In The Moisture
Want skin that is soft and smooth? When drying off after a bath or shower, apply lotion or body oil while you’re skin is still damp. This will help seal in moisture and leave your skin feeling great.

Can It Be Contact Dermatitis?
Has your skin suddenly become red, itchy or inflamed? Maybe a red rash? You may be experiencing contact dermatitis. Remember that moisturizers can play an important preventative role by increasing the skin’s hydration levels and maintaining and repairing the skin barrier.. Inflamed skin is warmer so more water evaporation takes place therefore more moisturizing is needed.

Soothe Your Skin
Dry or sensitive skin, eczema and other factors can result in itchy skin. A traditional way to sooth the itch is to add oatmeal to your bathwater.

Retinoids for Dry Skin and Wrinkles

Dry skin recommendations and supplements that can help your skin

RETINOIDS

The group of medicines known as retinoids are derived from Vitamin A. Creams containing the retinoids retinol and retinaldehyde can be obtained over the counter at pharmacies and supermarkets. Other topical retinoids containing tretinoin or isotretinoin require a doctor’s prescription. Adapalene is a related prescription medicine.  Topical retinoids can be applied to any area but are most often used on the face, the neck and the back of hands.

When you first start using the retinoid, apply your night cream first then re-apply the retinoid. Do this every third night for two weeks. Then apply moisturizer followed by retinoid every other night.
If no redness occurs after two weeks you can adjust your regimen and apply the retinoid after cleansing but before your night cream. Then apply the night cream after the retinoid. Do this, using the retinoid every other day, for one week.

If you experience redness or flaking, begin using the retinoid every night. In about twenty-four weeks you will notices fewer wrinkles and smoother skin as well as preventing future wrinkles.
Since retinoids speed up the rare at which skin cells divide, some flaking is normal. This flaking is not additional dryness, but rather dead skin cells sloughing off. You can use a facial scrub once or twice a week before an important event to remove these fakes, allowing your skin to look radiant. Stronger products are more irritating than those with a lower percentage of retinoids, so you can switch products depending on your needs.