The most common mistake guys make with their skin is doing nothing. In other words, many just don’t put skin care on the top of their priority list. As a parent of 3 grown men, I feel comfortable saying even though showering and hair product are rarely neglected, skin care is not likely a top consideration. Beyond skipping any skin care regimen, there are other things guys do to their skin that may be working against them.
The epidermis, or skin is the largest organ of the body, therefore it should get a little more attention than just a shower and a shave. Every single day guys are taking their skin for granted and doing little if anything to keep their skin healthy. Paying attention to skin care now will help to avoid the Shar-pei look down the road. That look is cute on a dog, but not a guy.
1. Wash your pillow case– Though this skin mistake likely applies to those men that are still single (remember, I’m a mom) guys, wash your sheets! Dirty sheets, more specifically pillow cases, are loaded with germs and bacteria. Regardless of how clean you may be the combination of sweat, saliva and accumulated dirt on your pillow case may trigger breakouts during your sweet dreams. To keep skin clean and clear, ideally wash sheets weekly.
2. Razor burn– If you’re in a hurry, you may apply too much pressure on your DE trying to get a quick one pass shave which can leave skin dry and “burned.” Your best bet is to shave in the shower, this will soften the skin and your bristles more than just a shave over the sink. You’ll not only get a closer shave, but avoid the burn caused by dry skin. Be sure to use a shaving soap puck that contains skin softening properties like kokum butter. Expert Tip: Keep a tube of aloe in the fridge and after your shave instead of closing your pores with a cold splash of water rinse with warm water and then rub on the cold aloe. This will feed your skin and close your pores at the same time. Steer clear of alcohol based aftershaves and other products you can get at McDaid online pharmacy here.
3. Protein overload- There is no doubt that men and meat go together like peas and carrots. However, you may want to reconsider protein overload. With the interest in the Paleo and other high protein diets, remember that skin can take a beating from too much protein. Dehydration and nutritional deficiencies may result in dry, itchy and dull skin so improving your nutrition with the use of resources from this source can help with this. There is nothing better for skin than kicking up your fruits, veggies and whole grains in addition to your protein selections. Next time you want to go for the 24 oz. steak maybe reconsider.
4. Moisturizing is not just a chick thing. Getting older means less natural oil produced by your skin. Therefore, moisturizing on a daily basis keeps skin looking great. Different skin types will require different types of lotions. When you have eczema, it’s key to use an eczema moisturizer since dry skin can often make eczema worse. Check with your dermatologist or skin care professional for the best moisturizer for your skin. If you are frustrated with the extra skin or excess fat that has formed around your neck, a facelift under local anesthesia Lexington may help to reduce or even eliminate it.
5. Not Drinking Enough Water: Studies show that the body is over 75% water. Hence, dehydration is always a concern, especially if you’re active. Aside from keeping the body hydrated and vertical, water removes toxins from the body and keeps skin looking healthy versus dry and ashen. Never a good look. As far as quantity of water, that continues to be debated. According to WebMD, 12.5 cups of water for men is suggested.
6. Binge Drinking – Though once out of college, binge drinking is something of the past. However, thanks to weddings, parties and ballgames, increased drinking is still a part of life. Given that a beer here and there isn’t a big deal, over imbibing can cause some serious dehydration. So ideally, refer to #5, to understand effects of dehydration. If you are having a couple of drinks, try a 1/1 ratio of alcohol and water to stay hydrated and minimize the affects of alcohol, i.e. dehydration.
Skin care for men is not something that is often talked about, likely for no other reason that it’s just not a priority. The truth however is that being tough on your skin now will become apparent later. Healthy skin is a sign of good health. Take care of yourself and you’re skin will thank you! [Bonus Tip 7: See Infographic Below!]
Nicki Anderson is the health and fitness columnist for Chicago Suburban Newspapers, Tribune Company/Naperville Magazine and contributor to numerous magazines and websites including, MSNBC.com, Forbes.com and FitnessMagazine.com, Real Simple, Prevention, Women’s Health and Women’s’ Running, Men’s Health and Fitness. Nicki also writes expert content forThriveMedSpa.com in her free time. For more information about Nicki visit www.nickianderson.com and connect with her onGoogle+ and Twitter.
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About Douglas Smythe
I can wholeheartedly not only agree but also attest to the importance of good skin care for guys. I am a guy, that had bad acne in my mid-teens, that vastly improved by just changing my pillow cases every couple of days, per a dermatologists recommendation. I didn't have my mother around to do my laundry, raised by just my dad who was the one that took me to that doctor. Something so simple, it's hard to believe these days it's not a prerequisite to teach male hygiene from grade school! Now that I'm decades older I tend to take care more, having just recently discovered the benefits of soaps with glycerin/ raw honey/ Shea and mango butters, along with quality shave soaps containing the same or other beneficial ingredients. I'm unfamiliar with kokum, despite seeing it listed as an ingredient in quality and artisan shave soaps lately, I'd love to see the benefits of using it also listed zoo I don't have to go on a heavy Interweb search just to find out what it's good for. We guys do need to know these things, at every age, not just when it becomes a medical necessity or at an advanced age. Thanks for daring to tread where others don't, I (we) can all use such sage advice, no matter how manly we are!
Thanks Scott,
Let me drop some trivia on you now! I see you mentioned “soaps w/ glycerin”…I need to fix this common misconception and then you must help spread the word sir. All true soap is glycerin soap! The stuff most commonly referred to as Glycerin soap is actually “Melt & Pour Soap”, not handmade, artisan soap and with the same amount or less glycerin than an opaque bar of soap. Sugar and alcohol is added to the blend to give it a transparent look, but I assure you it contains lye, oils and butters just like all soap but some times added conditioners, preservatives, moisturizers and sometime detergents (that’s not good). Psychologically we believe the “glycerin soap” to be purer or more natural because it’s translucent but again…not the case!
The soaps you find at the supermarket Ivory, Irish Spring, etc are not real soaps, but detergent bars and do not contain glycerin!
Sorry, had to get that off my chest. As an artisan soapmaker that misnomer is a real pet peeve! 🙂 Thanks for the kind words Scott and stay in touch sir!!!
Thank you, Sir Douglas, for your bit of trivia that I by no means find trivial. No need to apologize for wanting to relieve your chest of your pet-peeve, pets can become quite heavy when overfed and often need to be exercised, we all need to breathe.
I’ve only recently begun reading about soap making. I seem to recall that glycerin is a natural byproduct of the saponification process, regardless of the soap beginning with a tallow (beef fat) or vegetable (fatty acids derived from plants) based. I’ve read that soap makers would often discard or sell the glycerin to lubricant makers ect, . Some soap makers would add a bit back to their soaps, as it’s a good emollient (holds moisture) and humectant (attracts moisture). It was 100% glycerin that I’ve read to be very caustic, since it attracts and holds water it literally drawl too much moisture from skin and cause irritation and even chemical burns. Small amounts of glycerin (glycerine) can actually be very beneficial when added to good, quality soaps, shave soaps included.
Wasn’t it Ivory soap that advertised being 99.44/100ths% pure? I actually wondered, “Pure what???”. After all some crude oil is considered ‘pure’ but I wouldn’t wash my face with it! I’ll leave the ‘purity’ idea to the imagination of the reader, as I’ve made some ‘pure’ and ‘all-natural’ things in the bathroom that I’d also never consider washing my face with. Irish Spring gives the Irish a bad rap, nothing I know about it is the least bit ‘Irish’, a far as I know. I have some Irish in my heritage, along with Scottish (Scotch is a drink, not our heritage, as my grandmother very fervently often pointed out), native American, and other genetic markers, and can tell you there’s no way I’d wash with that stuff! That’s two so-called soaps my body told me right away weren’t right, long before discovering they weren’t skin soaps as advertised but rather they are detergents just as you claim. Ugh…
I’ve also read there is more than one type of clear or ‘transparent’ soaps, not just glycerin. While the first I’d read about was from an initial tallow base of high titer (high purity), said not to be as desirable a soap, the third wasn’t too bad and made from vegetable oils like coconut oil, olive oil, or even castor oil, or combinations thereof. Being strictly ‘veggie’ is a matter of preference more than necessity for many. I personally love some artisan shave soaps containing Lanolin, just one example, a personal choice that shouldn’t be taken personally. I also like tallow soaps, they truly do help my skin both as a shaving protectant and cellular revitalizer.
Here’s my ‘pet-peeve’, people that don’t have a clue that we humans are all individuals; that which works for one person may not work for another. Taken further, what some consider a discomfort or minor inconvenience, e.g. like razor burn or cuts/ nicks, can actually and quite literally be life-threatening for others!
I have Lupus, there I’ve said it, LUPUS roughly translated into English means ‘flesh-eater’, thus the similarity to the Latin for ‘WOLF’, a hereditary and oft-misunderstood auto-immune disease where a persons’ immune system can become so overactive it begins to literally eat healthy cells to death. Having Lupus brings to me a perspective that few ‘normal’ people can even come close to comprehending. When I use a soap that has glycerin, you can bet your sweet patootie it’s there to hold moisture in, along with more beneficial ingredients such as unrefined Shea butter from the Katrite tree, or quality organic Mango butter. Some oils too are beneficial, things like Cocos Nucifera and Argan
for example, so mentioning oils as soap ingredients is not always a bad thing. The sales pitch of “If you can’t pronounce it, it’s probably best to stay away from…” I’d also disagree with to some extent. After discovering some very beneficial ingredients I had previously stayed away from, due to that saying, only to find out just how truly wrong that is I now know that’s not always the case. I also use raw, unrefined honey, as an ingredient and not ‘neat’ (straight-up or alone) as despite it being a sugar it’s been used for thousands of years and has amazing antimicrobial properties. Raw, unrefined honey, when used in combination with a quality soap, can actually rid some people of acne, removes oils that collect dirt and bacteria without overly drying the skin. If you’ve ever seen someone having to deal with Systemic Lupus Eurythmatosus (SLE) whilst going through a Lupus ‘flair’ affecting their facial skin then you know how painful it looks. Imagine, now, just how painful using the wrong soap would be to someone like me that can’t even tolerate direct sunlight, where even florescent or bright incandescent lighting hurts my eyes. My skin reacts badly to sunlight too, due to Lupus, a terrible fate for someone like me that used to love the sunshine and hanging out at the beach, neither of which can I any longer tolerate; now badly that bites rocks. I was a sun-worshipper, I live just miles from some of the most beautiful white-sand beaches in the world and can no longer enjoy them. Harsh soaps are a serious threat to my skin, a major reason why after decades of using multi-blade carts that caused typical irritation I NEEDED to find a better alternative. When I get a cut or abrasion I risk a real threat of serious infection. A simple paper cut can become badly infected and take days longer to heal than for someone without Lupus. I had to get that ‘pet’ off my chest, no offense intended, people need to know this stuff and not make generalizations. We are, every single one of us, unique, despite our similarities.
I love what you’re doing, Douglas, seriously. Keep up the good work, my friend and please see what I’ve shared as not easily shared, as educational, not a condemnation. What you’re doing is highly commendable and I have the greatest respect for both you and your accomplishments so far. I only wish I were younger, so I had more years to benefit from what you and others like you are doing. Be well, and thanks again!
Scott
PS:
There’s a book on Play Books, circa 1922, by Edgar George Thomssen, called something like ‘Soap-Makers Manual that’s worth checking out. On or around page 82 is some information on ‘Transparent Soaps’ that indeed mentions exactly what you’d mentioned regarding the sugar and alcohol. If you haven’t already, check it out, the pictures and Appendix alone are well worth the free download!
Hello Scott,
I don’t see this as a condemnation at all…should I? 🙂 Yes I agree and am well versed in much of this, my ex-girlfriend of 3 years had lupus. I have actually added honey and beeswax in the past to soaps, which can be sketchy and cause “Volcanoing” before you get it to trace…so it may take some experimenting to get it right! I have a few old soapmaking manuals and how-to’s but not Thomssens, fun to read for sure and I will check it out! Good luck sir and thank you for the epic post! 🙂
Sincerely,
Douglas
Douglas Smythe said:
“I don’t see this as a condemnation at all…should I?”.
My response [Scott]:
No way, Bro’, no way!
I wanted to make sure you didn’t take anything I’d said as insulting, condemning, ridiculing, anything negative whatsoever. That’s all. These days even the best laid wording and intentions can and have been misinterpreted, I’ve had it happen before when something I’d said was twisted in another mind to mean something totally the opposite of what I’d said. gain, I’m not saying you’re twisted, wasn’t worried there at all. it’s so easy these days to sit at a keyboard behind a computer screen or smartphone, and type whatever. Sometimes those actually hiding behind keyboards can say some downright awful things to others, deliberately, making me wonder if the same person were face-to-face with the insulted party if they’d behave the same way. I wanted to be absolutely, unequivocally, certain that you knew I wasn’t being negative of you. I hope I’d met that mark and gained your approval.
Good luck and best wishes to you as well, Sir Douglas, you have always struck me as a true gentleman and and very bright individual. I’m looking forward to following you and your progress in this great adventure, One day soon I also hope to finally try one of your shave soaps, especially now that I’ve actually researched what ‘Kokum’ [not ‘Hokum’, the word where my dictionaries kept trying to redirect me to!] Butter is. Being it’s not in any of my dictionaries, I had to research it online and at first-finding I was still confused [by one Wiki article in particular] and the benefits it provides. Next I found http://kokum-butter.com/ and that helped a little more. Kept searching and found much more and intend to continue the research, sounds like good stuff so now I’m better armed and better understand the Kokum idea and use.
Thanks once more for all your hard work, and please do thank Ryan as well for me for his taking part in your wonderful expedition. Together you’re giving the new wet shavers and older veterans as well a truly needed service.
I salute you, Sirs, both of you!
Gracias Scott!
Yes tone can be hard to detect in this age of info! I too believe people are a little more “bold” behind their computers than they are in the pub face to face with me. 🙂 It’s very similar to “Honkers” on the road. People also feel they can react and do things they normally would not face to face. Ho-Hum and all that-
Thank you for the kind words again Scott, you too sound like a stand up gent! We work our tails off here and shall continue to do so…Thanks for “getting it”!
Kindest Regards,
Douglas
PS- I will pass on your words to Ryan!
Great article and read. As a 36 almost 37 year old man; I have been taking care of my largest organ the epidermis for years on end. This is a great getting started keeping to the basics article and 90% of the time the "basics" are all that are needed. The only other thing I would add is a UVA/B sun protectant whether natural or sunscreen of SPF 15 or greater. Loved the read and would love to see a follow up for intermediate skin care covering topics like facial peels aka glycolic, lactic or Salicylic as well as what was started to reference topical vitamin A retinoid either like a over the counter retinol P or even the big guns like RX strength Retin-A. overall guys skin care is great for you, and the awesome shave means nothing if your skin is not as beautiful as that BBS shave that shows that skin under your facial fur off !! again great article and read thank you !