While I was preparing to write this article, I can’t help but wonder if men today (in 2012) still need basic skincare advise, or has it become common knowledge like waking up every morning and brushing his teeth?
Men’s skin care has really come a long way from the days of washing with a withered bar of soap and quick splashes of water. Today, the market is filled with an overwhelming amount of grooming products targeted at men and specially formulated to meet the unique needs of the male epidermis – stubbly, thicker, and oilier. In fact, the beauty and cosmetic industry highlighted that men’s grooming is the fastest growing sector with the industry, especially so in Asia.
Nonetheless, I am sure that are still many men who will lack the knowledge, or are just stubborn, to understand and follow a basic skincare routine. So before even going into more complex grooming topics like anti-aging, dark circles, spots and special treatments, I thought we should start with the 5 basic steps to get everyone on the same page.
1- Cleanse
Cleansing is the single most important thing you can do for your face. Like brushing your teeth, it should be something you do everyday. As mentioned earlier, men’s skin is oilier because of the larger pores and very active sebaceous glands. The sebum secreted from the glands help to keep your skin naturally moist, but an excess of it will leave your skin greasy and shiny, and together with dirt, it can clog your pores and cause breakouts. But before you run off and reach for the nearest bar of soap, you will need to know that over washing the skin with the wrong type of soap can also result in dull and dry skin. The trick here is to find that right type of cleanser for your skin type. Not all facial cleansers are created equal, so you should look for one that is strong enough to cut through the grease and yet gentle enough to be used at least once a day.
2- Exfoliate
The concept of ‘Cleansing’ is often easy to digest, but when it comes to ‘Exfoliation’, many people are either too lazy or failed to realize its importance. A regular cleansing routine with a good cleanser washes away oil and dirt on the surface, but what about all that nasty stuff deep down in your pores. By incorporating exfoliation in your skin routine (just two a week), it will help to dislodge debris that normal washing can’t touch and remove the top layer of dead skin to reveal the fresher skin beneath. A good scrub should have tiny granules to help smooth the skin and eliminate the dullness that results from normal pore clogging and dirt build-up. Another advantage with exfoliation is that it also softens hair follicles for a closer, less-irritating shave and allows the skin to better absorb moisturizers.
3- Moisturize
For many men, a skincare routine starts and stops with a basic bar of soap or cleanser. What they failed to understand is that the skin is constantly aging and in need of protection from harmful external elements like dust, sunlight (UV rays) and weather conditions. Add to all that, most men have to shave everyday and that act alone is a recipe for irritated skin that’s parched and taut. After each shower and and shaving, your pores tend to open up and allow precious water to escape, but a light moisturizer can help to restore everything – it replenishes the skin’s moisture content and prevents razor burn. Choose a moisturizer with SPF will also provide a critical shield against the sun’s harmful UVB and UVA rays which burns and long term skin damage like deep lines and worst, skin cancer.
4- Protect your eyes
One place on the face that men almost never touch is the eyes (and the lips, see Point 5)- fearing that he is crossing the limit that his manhood can allow. However, the skin around the eyes is the only area that actually deserves special attention. Unlike women who age earlier but over a slow progression of fine lines and circles, men’s aging occurs in quantum leaps and his first signs of aging come from the skin around the eyes. This is because the soft, thin layer of skin that surrounds the eye is especially prone to developing creases and crinkles long before other parts of the body begin to show their age.
Using a good eye cream can help to smooths and protects the skin around the eyes, but note that applying eye cream once in a blue moon does nothing- good eye care requires serious commitment and proper usage. Just remember that eye cream needs to be dabbed gently on the edge of the bone around the eye (not directly on the soft skin underneath the eye) to maximize effectiveness and prevent irritation. It will slowly absorb and spread to the fragile areas that need it most.
5- Protect your lips
Living in the tropical climate country like Singapore, I almost hardly see men using lip balm. The skin on the lips is incredibly thin and prone to severe dryness, cracking, bleeding, and burning from exposure to the elements. Although our climate is more humid and less dry, we are more prone to the adverse effects of the sun. Our lips lack both oil glands to keep them naturally moist and melanin to provide protection against harmful UV rays. A little dryness and flaking every now and then may sounds like no big deal, but over time the combination of sun exposure, stress and a small cut can lead to nasty cold sores. Who wants to look like a walking Herpes Simplex? Choose a lip balm with SPF factor will help keep your lips moisture (and kissable!)
