The short answer is yes, if you care about your skin’s health or how you look. In my previous post, The Evolution of Men’s Skin Care, I tried to set your mind at ease by pointing out that the use of men’s skin care products is far more prevalent and accepted today than ever before. But, being new to the game, most men are ill-equipped to make informed decisions about their skin care. Sometimes we make bad decisions.
Some of you gentlemen may be wondering if you couldn’t get away with just using your wife’s or girlfriend’s skin care products. Men, you may have noticed that there are some differences between us and the ladies and I’m not just talking about the naughty bits. Aside from those obvious parts, we also happen to have very different body chemistry. Not only may her skin care products not work for you, they may have less than desirable effects such as over-drying your skin. Unless you are a chemist specializing in skin care, don’t take chances. Buy skin care products for men. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about some skin care needs we have in common with the fairer sex.
Acne is a shared complaint by both genders. This embarrassing and often painful ailment is universally distressing and crops up at the worst possible times with no regard for sex (or plans for sex, for that matter). If you’ve suffered from it, you know just how frustrating it can be. The bad news, folks, is that acne isn’t just a problem suffered by teens. While, yes, they represent the larger portion of society struggling with acne, there are plenty people who cope with adult acne every day.
Often associated with acne and another skin problem shared by both sexes is oily skin. While not necessarily a bad thing (oil is naturally produced by your skin) excessive oil and the failure to manage it or cleanse effectively can lead to black heads and acne. There are many cleansers designed specifically to remove excess oil, but you shouldn’t skimp here. Carefully designed products will help you manage oily skin properly without stripping your face entirely of oil. Overdoing it can lead to dry, irritated skin which is no less pleasant to look at than excessively oily skin.
We also both suffer equally from damage to our skin from the Sun and from pollutants. Fortunately there are products for both men and women that can defend against such damage and even reverse it! My next post on skin care products for men will help guide you to one of the first companies you should try as you delve into the world of men’s skin care, but for now recognize that the sun and environmental influences can and do cause your skin problems just as they do for women.
Diet can result in healthier skin and we’re all equally vulnerable to bad results from the consumption of unhealthy foods and inadequate hydration. Likewise smoking, stress, bad sleep habits all take their toll on both genders equally. And, finally, there’s age; the one assault on our skin none of us are immune to.
Perhaps the only real skin care concern we don’t share with women is the result make up has in clogging pores and the importance of its removal. But we’re just as susceptible to just about every other problem they face without the years of practice in preventing or diminishing the damage.
With so many enemies on so many sides doing so much to diminish our skin’s appearance, the question shouldn’t be “do men need skin care products,” it should be “where do I start!?” Well, we’ll get to that in our very next post on particular skin care products for men I think you’ll be very happy with. Until then, my friends.
Update: Our post is now up on Kiehl’s Skin Care Products for Men.