It doesn’t take much to have healthy skin. There’s an easy formula that simply includes taking care of your dermis with specially-formulated products, eating nutritious foods, exercising, and drinking plenty of water.
Should you suffer from any skin issues, there are plenty of spot treatments that should help speed up your skin’s recovery. You won’t need to invest in lots of expensive products or undergo painful procedures. The best part is that taking care of your skin doesn’t need to take more than 15 minutes a day.
These men’s skincare tips are easy to follow — and will leave you with glowing skin.
Top Men’s Skincare Issues
Some of the top skincare issues that men deal with include razor burn, sensitive skin, acne breakouts, fine lines and wrinkles, dry or flaky skin, and blackheads and clogged pores.
If you suffer from any of the above issues, you’re not alone. Several factors can lead to skin issues, including certain lifestyle choices, pollution, foods, and lack of exercise. Add stress to the mix, and you may end up with some severe breakouts, dry skin, or irritation.
Men’s Skincare Tips
Taking good care of your skin doesn’t need to be a huge production. In fact, you should really try to keep your skincare routine as simple as possible. Start with just the basics: cleanser, moisturizer, and spot treatments. If your skin issues don’t go away, you might want to opt for prescription skincare products.
Use Formulated Products
Not all products are created for every skin type. Don’t know your skin type? No problem. You can pretty easily find out what skin type you have by simply checking out the skin on your face.
Does your skin often feel oily? You may have oily skin. Does it feel dry, tight, or flaky? You may have dry skin. Is your face just oily on your forehead, nose, and/or chin? You may have t-zone oiliness or combination skin. Is your skin patchy or red in some areas? You may suffer from rosacea or sensitive skin. Don’t have any skin issues? You probably have normal skin.
Luckily, there are products available for pretty much any skin type. If you want to balance out oily, dry, or combination skin, you’ll find plenty of products formulated for those exact issues.
Basic Skincare Routine
There are three basic parts of any good skincare routine: cleanse, moisturize, treat.
If you’re new to skincare, you may simply want to start with these three steps. If you’re suffering from severe acne, rosacea, flaky skin, or mature skin, you may want to consider prescription skincare — but that step isn’t always necessary unless you have severe issues.
Cleanse
It’s so important to cleanse your skin. Yet, this step is so often forgotten or ignored.
Our skin attracts dirt, debris, allergens, and pollution every day. It’s hard to imagine this as we don’t see or feel these particles. Yet, our skin acts like a sponge, absorbing pretty much anything that it comes in contact with.
Some of the most common particles include heavy metals, pollution, smoke, dirt, bacteria, and more. All of these can end up clogging pores and destroying collagen (the protein that aids in healing and cell turnover).
Cleansing your skin each night will remove these particles and allow your skin to regenerate throughout the night. Cleansing your skin in the morning will remove any dead skin cells and sweat that settle on your skin at night.
Moisturize
Using a good moisturizer can help protect your skin from many of the pollutants that can settle on your dermis each day. Using a moisturizer that contains sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher can protect your skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun. Moisturizer can also help keep your skin from drying out during the day.
It’s important not to use a daytime moisturizer at night, as daytime moisturizers are too heavy for nighttime use. It may clog your pores if you use it at night.
Treat
You may also want to get some type of spot treatment if you suffer from skin issues, such as dry skin, oily skin, acne, or rosacea. These spot treatments will help protect and repair your skin.
If you suffer from severe skin issues, you may want to opt for prescription skincare. Most spot treatments should be used at night, so the treatment can work while you sleep. These treatments usually come in the form of creams or serums. Online dermatologists such as Hims and Roman specialize in personalized skincare for men.
There are spot treatments and moisturizing lotions designed for pretty much any skincare issue under the sun, including fine lines and wrinkles, pimples, and dryness.
If you’re worried about acne, make sure to get your skincare products from a licensed dermatologist. Treating your own acne with salicylic acid or toner can dry out your skin and create further skin problems.
If you suffer from razor burn or other shaving-related irritation, you may want to use a calming salve. Never exfoliate razor-burned skin; wait until your skin has healed to tackle ingrown hairs or exfoliate bumps.
Skincare Supplements
You may want to consider taking supplements for some skincare issues. Sometimes skincare problems can be the result of the body not absorbing enough nutrients. Some of the most common nutrients needed for skin health are vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin A.
Before taking vitamins, you’ll want to get tested for nutrient deficiencies. An at-home testing kit can help you determine if you’re lacking any nutrients and need to take supplements. Of course, you can also absorb nutrients through food, too.
Lifestyle Tips
Good skincare products can only take your skin so far. Some skin issues come from the outside (such as pollution, dry air, or sun damage). Yet, some issues are caused by an imbalance within the body.
The skin is the largest organ in the body, and its job is to protect and support many other systems. To ensure your skin stays glowing (and that your skincare products can work effectively), you’ll want to make a few lifestyle changes to support your new skincare regimen.
Reduce Stress
Stress is one of the main causes of acne, rosacea, and other skin issues. Stress can fluctuate your hormones and create imbalances in your systems.
When you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol and adrenaline. It also shuts down your sympathetic nervous system (all non-essential systems) and instead focuses only on your basic functions.
This means that your skin will get the short end of the nutrient stick. Your body won’t send water and hydration to your skin cells, your collagen production may break down, and your skin will look dull and damaged.
To reduce stress, you may simply want to start with some basic breathing or meditation techniques. If you’re new to meditation, you may want to download a meditation app to get guided instruction or guided meditations.
You may also want to consider talking with a therapist. Online talk therapy platforms like Talkspace can match you with a therapist that specializes in stress reduction. Chat with your therapist via video, audio, or text message — or, chat via video in real-time.
Hydrate
Your skin needs water to stay plump, firm, and healthy. If you want healthy skin, you need to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. You also want to avoid dehydrating foods and beverages (such as soda, coffee, and alcohol) and eat foods that have high water content.
You’ll also want to ensure your skin stays hydrated from the outside in, too. If you live in a dry climate, you may want to opt for a good moisturizer that protects your skin from the wind or intense cold or heat.
Avoid Stimulants
Stimulants, like alcohol, drugs, nicotine, and caffeine can wreak havoc on your skin. They can suck the moisture from your dermis and leave your skin more susceptible to free radicals.
If you’re finding it difficult to cut stimulants out of your life, you may want to consider joining a support group. Online support groups like Wisdo can match you with a partner that has ‘been through it’ and can offer support when it comes to quitting (or cutting back on) alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, or other stimulants.
If you think you have an addiction to alcohol or drugs, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for resources on alcohol or drug dependency and addiction.
Keep It Simple
Good skincare doesn’t need to be complicated. The more complicated your skincare routine, the less likely you are to stick to it.
Luckily, you can bookend most skincare steps with your morning and nighttime routines. Cleanse your skin in the morning during your shower, and moisturize right after your shower. Cleanse your skin at night and do any spot treatments after you brush your teeth.
Skincare for men doesn’t need to be complicated. If you suffer from any of the common men’s skincare issues, there are plenty of treatments available both in-person and online to treat these issues.
