Skincare For Men: 5 Ways to Achieve Healthier Skin

Soap, water, pos­si­bly some lotion or sun­screen from time to time — many men keep their skin­care rou­tines sim­ple. While sim­plic­i­ty is not always bad, that doesn’t mean that men shouldn’t take the time to cre­ate a skin­care rou­tine that is right for their skin. 

How­ev­er, some men don’t pri­or­i­tize hav­ing a skin­care rou­tine. Instead, they reach for what­ev­er soap hap­pens to be near­by whether out of con­ve­nience or habit. Over time, this can be dam­ag­ing to their skin. 

June is Men’s Health Month — a time for men to take charge of their health, includ­ing their skin health. Whether you are brand new to skin­care or just need an extra nudge, don’t over­com­pli­cate it. Use these 5 sim­ple tips to achieve health­i­er skin. 

1. Wash dai­ly with the right cleanser. 

Whether from dirt, sweat, dust, or oth­er prod­ucts, your face gets dirty. Every­one — includ­ing men — should wash their face once a day and after exer­cise.

It’s okay to ditch the reg­u­lar old bar of soap, which can be dry­ing. Instead, use a mild face cleanser along with luke­warm water. The type of cleanser depends on skin type. For instance, peo­ple with acne-prone skin should use prod­ucts that are ​“oil-free” or ​“non-come­do­genic.” Those with sen­si­tive skin might opt for ​“fra­grance-free” to avoid irritation. 

Lim­it wash­ing to two times a day and after sweat­ing. Too much wash­ing can dry out the skin. 

2. Mois­tur­ize year-round. 

Skin that los­es water too quick­ly is called dry skin. There are plen­ty of rea­sons why men might expe­ri­ence dry skin, includ­ing the weath­er, the time of year, where they live, and cer­tain med­ica­tions. To com­bat dry skin year-round, mois­tur­iz­ing dai­ly is key. 

Using a mois­tur­iz­er traps the water in the skin, keep­ing it healthy. This can improve the appear­ance of fine lines, make the skin look brighter, and pre­vent future prob­lems, like eczema.

Men should apply mois­tur­iz­er to the face and body just after tak­ing a show­er or bath and after shav­ing. By mois­tur­iz­ing while the skin is still damp, it helps hold the water more effi­cient­ly.

3. Wear sunscreen. 

While you might enjoy the feel­ing of the sun on your skin, with­out sun­screen, it can be very dam­ag­ing. Unpro­tect­ed, exposed skin can lead to age spots, wrin­kles, and skin cancer. 

Source: Amer­i­can Acad­e­my of Der­ma­tol­ogy Association 

Whether you’re doing yard­work, play­ing with the kids at a play­ground, or enjoy­ing a leisure­ly walk, men should wear sun­screen on all exposed areas of the skin when­ev­er they’re out­side. This includes areas of the body like the scalp, ears, and neck. For the lips, lip balm with sun­screen will work. It is also impor­tant to use sun­screen every morn­ing, as the left side of the face gets a lot of cumu­la­tive sun expo­sure just from the dai­ly com­mutes (yes, right through the car window). 

Men should use sun­screen with an SPF of 30 or high­er and make sure they like the feel of the lotion so they don’t mind apply­ing it daily. 

4. Be mind­ful while shaving. 

Many men shave their facial hair to main­tain their desired appear­ance or for com­fort. But shav­ing with the wrong tech­nique can be dam­ag­ing to the skin. 

Mul­ti-blade razors may seem more effec­tive, but they can actu­al­ly work too well and lead to an over­ly close shave. This can cause razor burns, razor bumps, and ingrown hairs. 

Instead, use a sin­gle or dou­ble-blade razor, and avoid pulling the skin taut while shav­ing. Before shav­ing, make sure the hair is soft by wet­ting it. Apply a mois­tur­iz­ing shav­ing cream, and always shave in the direc­tion the hair is growing. 

5. Check your skin frequently. 

When it comes to skin can­cer, fre­quent skin checks are key. 

Men should look for new moles or spots, par­tic­u­lar­ly ones that bleed, itch, or change col­or. If you notice any new spots, see a der­ma­tol­o­gist for a full skin exam. When skin can­cer is caught ear­ly, it’s very treatable. 

If you’re con­cerned about a new spot or mole, con­tact a Duly der­ma­tol­o­gist, who can per­form a full skin exam. Search for a Duly der­ma­tol­o­gist near you.

Keep­ing Everyone’s Skin Healthy Year-Round

Dur­ing Men’s Health Month and every month, every­one should make their skin­care rou­tine a pri­or­i­ty. Because every person’s skin is dif­fer­ent, there’s not one per­fect approach to skin­care. Instead, it might take some tri­al and error — and the sup­port of a Duly der­ma­tol­o­gist — to cre­ate the right skin­care routine. 

With a few minor adjust­ments and a lit­tle plan­ning, you can enjoy a future with healthy and radi­ant skin.