Recently, I heard a hair loss commercial from Snoop Dogg. He said, “most men begin to lose their hair by age 35,” and his call to action is, “don’t meet me there, beat me there.” It’s a great commercial and it underlines an issue for men: how do I take care of my appearance?
Guys Care
For any of you ladies reading, guys are creatures of habit. Unless told otherwise, we find certain clothes, a brand of car, a place to live that we like and we stick with it. Why change it? The same can be said about how we look at skincare. We want to look good. And, depending on what you do (until you get into your thirties), the standard bar or body soap, moisturizer, and maybe sunscreen (only when outdoors) is all guys really do. Better yet, it’s all we know what to do.
Skincare For Men Is Taboo
Let’s face it. No man has ever said: “what kind of serum do you use?” to another guy. According to board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Thomas Narsete, MD, “men’s skin is 25% thicker than women’s skin and because of that you have to use stronger skincare.” Most men will look to their other half to be directed as to what to use. This is not always a great idea as we all have specific kinds of skin issues and, as Dr. Narsete points out, men have thicker skin.
A Good Start
Guys need medical grade skincare. I say medical grade because it’s been studied by physicians, published in journals, and you know what’s in it. Instead, we recommend products such IS Clinical Cleanser or Epionce’s Lytic Gel Cleanser. These products contain salicylic acid which act as an anti-inflammatory that not only cleans dirt and oil off your face/scalp, but it also works to calm down your skin. The average store bought soap like Irish Spring or Dial will pull oil off your face in excess and dry it out. This causes inflammation and exacerbates issues like acne, rosacea, and increases aging.
Next Step
Depending on your age, you should be on a retinol. As a derivative of vitamin A, retinols can help with everything from acne and pigment issues to slowing down the aging process. Click here to read a study published in 2006 that demonstrates how retinol will regenerate collagen with continuous use after 90-120 days.
Sunscreen Is For Girls
Any guy who thinks like this is sadly very misinformed. According to an article published in 2013 in the Journal of Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, “UV exposure is responsible for 80% of aging.” With that in mind, you need to not only put it on every day, but reapply it. Oh, and if you think clouds protect you, they don’t. Upwards of 80%+ of UV goes right through the clouds. A simple fix for this is trying Colorescience’s Sunforgettable. It’s a dry sunscreen that you brush on. Seriously, no more goop on your hands and it takes all of 10-20 seconds to put on your face, neck, and even head. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, “1/5 people in the US will get skin cancer in their lifetime and one person dies every hour from melanoma.” Once you get over the idea that it’s a girl thing and realize you are just protecting yourself, it make sense.
Skincare is not just for women. As a guy it’s okay to want to take care of yourself and try to slow down the aging process. Being a man in our society is all about taking action. Why not take action to help yourself out? A great resource to start is to take our skin quiz. We’ve created over 600+ regimens for men using medical grade skincare and deliver it with instructions to your doorstep. Try it. You won’t be disappointed.
To a virtual fist bump,
Team Reflect
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