Men's skin care shares many of the basic principles which underlie female skin care. For example, satisfying the basic needs of cleanliness and moisturizing go a long way for both sexes. However, there are many subtle differences between male and female skin which can have significant effects on their most ideal products.
Many of these differences are simply physiological. For instance, the skin of the average man is considered to be at least 20% thicker than that of the average female. Also, men have more resilient collagen and elastin levels. These proteins are responsible for allowing the skin to maintain its shape. With their degeneration, the epidermis begins to adopt more wrinkles and lose its smoothness.
Of course, as mentioned, men have more of these proteins. Meaning the aging of the skin is less of a problem for them.
However, men do have other particular issues to worry about. For instance, men's skin is generally oilier. This means that a man needs to use products designed neither to be too greasy, nor to be too drying. When skin becomes too dry, it will overcompensate and create extra oil. This means that a problem with oiliness can be intensified with drying products. It is necessary to pursue a more balanced option rather than either increasing moisture unnecessarily or stripping it harshly away.
A man should take care to use products designed specifically for men's skin care. Women's products are often too greasy in comparison.
Oily skin may also lead to larger pores in men. The regular use of a light toner is an excellent way to avoid this development.
More serious than breakouts and the potential development of unsightly pores, men have a lot to worry about when it comes to protection from the sun. Recent studies have shown that female mice have four times as many cancer-fighting antioxidants within their skin than male mice do. These male mice suffered significantly more genetic damage under ultraviolet or UV light. As a part of that, they developed more instances of squamous cell skin cancer. These cancers also developed much more quickly and aggressively for the male mice than it did for the females.
Obviously, these male mice are not the same as human men. However, human males are three times more likely than women to develop squamous cell skin cancer as well. This leads to speculation that the same problems may be related.
Strangely enough, exposure to the UV light had less of an inflammatory response for the male mice than for the females. This means that the females were more likely to display the effects of sunburn, even though they the males were experiencing a more deep and permanent damage. A current hypothesis is that the males may have fewer proteins designed to repair DNA damage.
Regardless of the exact reasoning behind it, men do develop more squamous cell skin cancer. For this reason, regular use of a gel or cream for skin is recommended that includes an SPF of at least 15. Selecting one that includes antioxidant vitamins such as A, C, or E will also decrease damage from the sun. This prediction comes from Arizona-based, skin-cancer surgeon Dr. Jennifer Linder.
Other factors which affect men's skin care are more based upon behavioral differences (whether these differences are cultural or innate are another matter entirely.) For instance, the practice of regular shaving can result in a breakdown of the natural lubrication of a man's face. Also, men in Western culture are just not as accustomed to facial care. This poses extra challenges for men to be comfortable with or simply aware of specific health issues related to the matter.
Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for Web sites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background also includes teaching, yoga, and heath and fitness. For more of her useful articles on skin care, please visit Skin Care Products, supplier of anti-aging products, acne treatments, facial toner, and more.
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