Best Men's Health and Lifestyle

For healthy-looking skin over the age of 40, it is important to have a skin care routine for men. As we get older, we want to keep a stronghold on our youthful vigor. We go to the gym and workout for hours, building and maintaining our physical physiques and boosting our T-levels. But do you spend time taking care of your skin that houses those eye-popping muscles?

To keep your skin smooth and younger-looking as you age, you must incorporate a daily skin care routine for men that promotes healthy-looking skin.

We will break the skin care routine for men into three parts – face, body, and head.

While this article will focus on building a skin care routine for men over 40, you should also know that to get healthy-looking skin an emphasis must be placed on getting proper sleep, eating nutritious meals, maintaining proper hydration levels, and managing stress.

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First, before you can begin to build a daily routine, the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD) says that men should know and understand their skin type.

Skin Type:

According to the AAD,

• Sensitive skin may sting or burn after product use
• Normal skin is clear and not sensitive
• Dry skin is flaky, itchy, or rough
• Oily skin is shiny and greasy
• Combination skin is dry in some areas and oily in others

Knowing and understanding your skin type is the foundation to creating an effective skin care routine for men that will deliver healthy and younger-looking skin. This knowledge will help you buy the correct products for your skin. If you are unsure what category your skin falls into, we suggest you schedule an appointment with a board-certified dermatologist.

Face

1. Exfoliate

While you could begin with either steps 1 or 2, we suggest you exfoliate your face first. This step will help remove all of the dead skin, excess oil, and bacteria from your face and neck area. Exfoliating your skin is key to having healthy-looking skin. This step will help prevent acne and visible signs of aging.

It is important to follow the directions on the product when exfoliating your face. Many products will only have you exfoliate 2 – 3 times a week and not every day.

Application: Start by wetting your face with warm water (not hot water). Add a small amount of product into the palm of your hand and gently massage it onto your wet face and neck area. Do not get the product into your eyes. Be sure to thoroughly rinse off the product.

2. Cleanse

The next step in the skin care routine for men is to wash/cleanse your face. Wash your face daily with a mild cleanser or face wash in warm water (not with hot water). It is important that you do not use body soap to clean your face. The ingredients in a bar of soap can damage your skin, causing it to age quickly. Remember, it is important to know your skin type so that you may choose the best cleanser for your face.

Because you exfoliated your face first, you are now primed to wash away all dead skin, excess oil, and bacteria that were uncovered during the exfoliation process.

It is best to wash your face twice a day (morning and evening) and after a workout session. This will help remove all dirt and impurities gathered throughout the day along with any sweat and oil produced overnight.

Application: Start by wetting your face with warm water (not hot water). Add a small amount of product into the palm of your hand and gently massage the product onto your wet face and neck area. Be sure to thoroughly rinse off the product.

3. Shave

The third step in the skin care routine for men is to shave. Some men shave every day while others do less frequently.

Once you have exfoliated and cleaned your face, it is time to shave. Shaving after exfoliating will save your face from burning and skin irritation. Also, exfoliating your skin will help make your face nice and smooth in preparation for the process of shaving. And just like exfoliation, shaving will remove dead skin and excess oil.

Don’t overlook a good shaving cream that moisturizes.

Application: Start by wetting your face with warm water (not hot water). Add the product into the palm of your hand and gently massage it onto your wet face and work the product into a lathery foam.

Shave with a downward stroke going with the grain. While shaving against the grain may give you a closer-looking and smoother feeling shave, it will also give you razor burn, skin irritation, and ingrown hairs – ouch!

4. Moisturize

The fourth step in the skin care routine for men is to moisturize each time you wash and/or shave your face.

Shaving dries out your skin, so using a moisturizer after shaving is vital to restoring moisture and helping to protect against wrinkles.

Be sure to use a post-shave moisturizer after shaving.

Application: Add the post-shave moisturizer product into the palm of your hand and liberally apply it to your face and neck.

If you do not shave everyday, you will still use a moisturizer after washing your face to help seal in the moisture. Use an SPF 15 moisturizer to help protect your skin against the sun.

The key to applying the moisturizer is applying it while your skin is still damp.

Application: Add the moisturizing product into the palm of your hand and liberally apply to your face and neck.

5. Sunscreen

The final step in the skin care routine for men is something that many will not give much thought to, which is applying sunscreen to exposed skin areas to help protect against sun damage. Overexposure to the sun can lead to wrinkles, age spots, and a much more serious condition, skin cancer.

If your moisturizer does not protect against the sun, you should apply sunscreen with SPF 30 or greater. If you are outdoors for a prolonged amount of time, you will need to reapply the sunscreen every 2 hours.

Application: Add the sunscreen product into the palm of your hand (or spray the product onto exposed skin) and liberally apply to all exposed body parts as directed.

Another way to protect your skin from damaging sun rays is by wearing a hat and sunglasses. Read our blog, How to Protect Your Eyes from the Sun When Exercising? – The Sun, UV Light, and Your Eyes.

Men, for those of us over the age of 50, it is extremely important to protect our skin from harmful sunrays as we are at a higher risk for developing melanoma, a very serious and deadly form of skin cancer. But when caught early it is highly treatable.

Body

A skin care routine for men is just as important for your body as for your face.

1. Exfoliate

Just like your face, the first step in the skin care routine for men is to exfoliate. You should exfoliate your body with a body-specific product. Doing so will help remove all the dead skin, excess oil, and bacteria making your body smoother and giving you healthier-looking skin. If you are going to spend hours in the gym building muscle, you should at least spend time polishing up your body.

Application: While showering, gently rub the exfoliating product over your wet body using a circular motion and then completely rinse it off.

2. Wash

The second step in the skin care routine for men for the body – after you have exfoliated your body, it is time to wash away the dead skin, excess oil, and bacteria from your body. Here are tips to help you have healthier-looking skin.

• Shower in warm water (not hot water). Hot water will strip away the essential oils your body needs to protect your skin. Cold showers are fine, just not hot. It is said that daily showers are not required unless necessary. We will leave that choice up to you.
• Use a separate washcloth for both your face and body. Also, change out and use fresh, clean washcloths regularly to help fight against bacteria.
• Add the body wash product to a wet washcloth and lather your entire wet body with the body wash.
• Be sure to rinse off all cleaning products (shampoo, exfoliate, and cleanser) completely from your body as any remaining products can become an irritant to your body and strip away necessary oils.

3. Moisturize

The final step for your body in the skin care routine for men is to moisturize your entire body while it is still damp. This will help seal in moisture, leaving your body smooth and healthy-looking.

Application: Add the moisturizing product into the palm of your hand and liberally apply to your entire body.

Get the Nivea Men Complete Skin Care Collection for Sensitive Skin

Head

The skin care routine for men also extends to the care and treatment of your head and hair.

1. Shampoo and Condition

Application:

• Start by getting your hair wet with warm water. This will help loosen dirt and excess oils from your hair.
• Put a coin-size drop of shampoo into the palm of your hands and then spread it evenly throughout your hair working up a lather by starting with your scalp and working your way out to the tips.
• Do not use your fingernails to scrub your scalp. The bacteria under your nails can lead to your scalp becoming irritated or even infected. It could even lead to hair loss. Use your fingertips and not your nails to massage the product into your scalp.
• Use conditioner to help keep your hair manageable and looking and feeling great. For longer hair, when conditioning, start with the tips/ends of your hair and work inward towards your scalp.
• Be sure to rinse your hair completely as leftover shampoo and conditioner buildup can lead to dandruff.

Bald Heads

• As part of the bald brotherhood, there is much-needed work for us to do to help protect our skin from dryness and dandruff. As a buddy once told me, there is nothing worse than an ashy bald head.
• For us men of color, we really have to take care of our bald heads. If we do not take care of our skin, our heads can become discolored with light-colored patches.
• Keep your dome clean, moisturized, and protected from the sun.
• Just like men with hair, you must wash your bald head. Try a good therapeutic shampoo that will help fight against dandruff.
• Even if you don’t have dandruff troubles, you still may have problems with a dry scalp. You can use the same product that you wash your body and or face with as long as it is gentle and moisturizes. Just think of your bald head as an extension of your face.
• After a nice warm (not hot) shower, and while your pores are still open, it’s time to add a moisturizing oil to that bald head. The oil will help when shaving your head as the blade will work smoothly with the shape of your head.

Note: When shaving your head stay away from shaving foams as they do not offer the needed moisturizing properties as a hydrating thick shaving cream or moisturizing oil.

• Now that your head is clean, oil slick, and shaven, it is time to add a nice moisturizer to your head. Add moisturizer whether you shave your head that day or not.
• Just like with any other parts of your body that are exposed, you must protect your bald head from the sun. It is vital that you use sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) on your head and wear a hat. You should reapply the sunscreen every 2 hours when out in the sun.

Here is a video on Skin Tips for Men by the AAD

Wrap-Up

Having a skin care routine for men is important after the age of 40. Key items to remember, know your specific skin type and use the appropriate product for best results. If you are unsure of your skin type, schedule an appointment with a board-certified Dermatologist. Exfoliate your skin to remove dead skin, excess oils, and bacteria. Use warm water, not hot water when cleaning your head, face, and body. Be sure to thoroughly rinse off all skincare products. And don’t forget to protect all exposed skin from the damaging sun.

Begin a skin care routine for men by implementing these easy-to-follow steps, and you will soon have strong, healthy, and younger-looking skin.

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