Guys, what if I told you that you could age far better than the women around you? The differences between men and women’s skin favor men; yet, many guys don’t take proper care of their skin and/or take minimal precautions against sun damage.
Case in point: a long-term friend of mine is a runner, hiker, outdoors-type-of-guy. He also never wears sunblock unless we’re at the beach. That’s nonsensical, right? Despite that we know that men’s skin has a higher density of collagen and elastin, my sun-protected female face is still line- and sunspot-free whereas his is looking more than a bit weathered.
Okay, let’s look at the facts, and you can see: you have more than a good opportunity to age really well.
The Good News
- As I mentioned earlier, a higher density of collagen and elastic means that men’s faces will not wrinkle or sag nearly as early as most women’s. Add in proper skin care and regular sun protection and you’re golden (but not literally).
- Skin discoloration—called hyperpigmentation—is less common in men; women experience specific hormonal activity that can cause or exacerbate hyperpigmentation. Again, correct sun protection further decreases the likelihood that you’ll have skin discoloration.
- Men’s skin produces more oil. Oily-skinned people naturally age better than dry-skinned folks.
- Men don’t need to be as careful as women when it comes to skin care. In other words, your tougher skin allows you to use more powerful skin care ingredients without causing stinging or irritation. Men can exfoliate every day, for example, whereas it is recommended that women do so only two or three times a week.
- Women naturally have more fat below their skin. They are, therefore, far more likely to experience cellulite.
The Bad
- Guys tend to have larger pores and more blackheads than women. While women suffer from more adult acne, men typically have more severe and longer-lasting acne.
- Many men—not all of them—neglect their skin, thereby negating many of the positives on the above list.
You know what you need to do: find the right skin care regimen for your skin and make sure to protect your face from the sun every day.
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Guest Post
Jillian Ruffino is a writer, editor and esthetician currently working for Mario Badescu Skin Care. She can usually be found posting interesting things to Mario Badescu’s Facebook page and telling everyone to wear more sunscreen.
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