Skin Health

For most men, skin care is a mere afterthought. Beyond the world of shaving our hairy faces, it is rare for us to devote time to our, especially the skin on our face. However, proper skin care is essential for the present and the future. Skin is the body's first line of defense against sickness, germs, and diseases! Listen up gentlemen!!!

Additionally, as we age, our skin loses its elastic nature. Thus, we develop wrinkles and facial lines. For these reasons alone, proper skin care is important. These tips will help you keep your skin in shape without making you spend hundreds of dollars on products that promise "miracle cures."

The Basic 4-Step Skincare Regimen Step 1: Cleansing

Simple is key here. You need to find a good cleanser that your skin responds well to, and stick with it.

You can find a good cleanser at the drugstore. There's no need to spend $40 on a fancy wash. Avoid bar soaps as they tend to dry out the skin. Choose a creamy cleanser if you have dry skin or a clear cleanser if you have oily skin.

Be careful not to cleanse too often. Washing at night should do you. Use warm water to loosen dirt and clogged pores. Use a dime-sized bit of cleanser, then rinse with cool or lukewarm water.

In the morning, a splash of lukewarm water is all you need (we find it's great for removing excess oils from your nightly moisturizing). Never wash your face with hot or cold water (both can cause broken capillaries). Also be careful about overcleansing skin.

Step 2: Exfoliate

Exfoliation is the step most people skip in their weekly skincare routine. But trust me, if you start properly exfoliating your skin, you will notice an almost immediate difference. According to Berg, one of the reasons men's skin looks more youthful than women's is because men tend to exfoliate daily when they shave. That's right guys, keep it up!

Scrubs work by removing the top layer of dead skin cells that tend to dull your complexion. We find exfoliating skin once a week with a microdermabrasion kit keeps skin glowing year-round. Make sure you use a gentle scrub with tiny grains. Big grains in cheap scrubs can tear skin and cause more harm than good.

Step 3: Moisturize

While I know of at least one famous beauty editor who swore skin doesn't need moisturizer, basically everyone else I've read disagrees and is an adamant believer in it. A basic law of beauty is that everyone, no matter her skin type, man or woman, should moisturize. Be careful not to overmoisturize -- this can clog pores.

Step 4: Apply Sunscreen

The number-1 cause of wrinkles is sun damage, so it's important to use sunscreen from your early years on even in winter and on cloudy days.