Women's vs. Men's Skincare

Women's Skin Care

All skin care is not created equally! Women's skin care differs from that of children and men, and among women, skin care even differs at various stages of life.

A woman's appearance on the outside is generally a good indication of what's going on inside her body. Poor nutrition, unhealthy lifestyle choices and stress all contribute to the overall poor health of the skin. Bad habits such as smoking and consuming high-fat, high-salt diets deprive the body of the important nutrients skin needs.

Although they don't shave their faces, women do shave other body parts, including parts that are very sensitive. Extra care should be taken to avoid further skin irritation, cuts or ingrown hairs.

Women have a tendency to retain water, causing skin to look and feel more bloated. To keep water retention under control, it's important for women to limit the amount of salt in their diets.

Men are gaining ground but still, women are more likely to undergo skin treatment procedures. Augmentation, dermabrasion and laser treatments all will change the skin's appearance but too much will ultimately wreak havoc. Always weigh the risks versus the benefits before 'going under the knife'.

Besides emotional ups and downs, wildly fluctuating hormones during pregnancy and menopause can cause changes in a woman's skin.

Skin care during pregnancy

Take a look at the products you use to ensure they're safe during pregnancy. Should you have any concerns, purchase products which are labeled safe to use during pregnancy.

Pregnancy can cause normal skin to become oily so you may have to change to skin care products that combat acne. Use toners and exfoliate to remove dead cells and deep clean pores. Continue to moisturize skin, especially your growing belly, to reduce chances of developing stretch marks.

Your feet are getting an extra workout so be sure to massage with a foot lotion containing refreshing menthol. Pigmentation sometimes changes during pregnancy, increasing the likelihood of sunburn/tan. Never forget to wear sunscreen to protect against damaging skin.

Skin care during menopause

Fluctuations in a woman's progesterone and estrogen levels will cause skin to change. Facial hair may sprout and skin will start to sag, wrinkle and thin. It's also drier due to slowed production of sebum. Interestingly, changing hormone levels may cause a new round of acne! Random dark spots and broken blood vessels will likely appear.

To counter the effects of dry skin, add humidity into the air, take shorter and warmer baths or showers and moisturize. Risks of skin cancer now increase so closely monitor moles and other skin discolorations. Most importantly, be vigilant about proper sun protection.

Men's Skin Care

A booming industry, men's skin care is finally making its way to the top of the agenda. Whether it's something men are doing to help remain competitive or to help ward off the signs of growing old, men of all ages and all walks of life are starting to care about using the right types of products for their skin type.

Men's skin differs from women's in that it contains a higher percentage of collagen and elastin, so it's thicker. Men's sebaceous glands also work harder than a woman's meaning that men's skin generally is oilier.

Real men are concerned with skin care

Besides all the regular enemies of skin like the sun, poor diet and cold weather, men's skin needs protection from the razor blade. Daily removal of facial hair requires the application of vitamin-rich shaving gel to protect skin from rashes and burns that sometimes result from shaving.

If you want to avoid having your appearance referred to as 'weather beaten' you had better start protecting your skin from the sun. Sunburns aren't sexy and neither are the signs of premature aging. If surfers are man enough to walk around with heavy white zinc on their noses and lips, then you can be man enough to apply sunscreen when you're outdoors golfing, fishing, working or playing.

General guidelines for men's skin care

Begin the day by deep-cleaning your face to remove dirt and sweat. Cleanse again before going to bed.

Exfoliate to remove dead skin cells and other pore-blocking grime. Exfoliating also will open your pores and that's going to ensure a closer shave.

Before shaving, splash your face with warm water. That will make it easier to work up a good lather and it will soften skin. Take a few extra moments to really massage in the shaving cream. The massaging action will help stimulate blood flow in the dermis. Never use a dull blade to shave. And to ensure a close shave, always shave in the same direction as hair growth. Shaving in the opposite direction or shaving in both directions can leave you with skin that's red and irritated. Finally, take your time when shaving. Even though you've done it most of your life, you still need to be careful.

Moisturizing is important to help skin seal in moisture. Plus, many shaving products dry skin. Choose moisturizing products that also condition skin such as those that contain vitamins or aloe vera.

It's important to use after shave products that don't contain alcohol. It's too harsh and it'll dry skin which is opposite of what you want.

Remember that your face isn't the only part of your body that's covered with skin. Keep all skin clean and moist, especially on your feet, elbows, arms and your hands. Soft hands are nice to hold.

And finally, live the good life. Eat right, exercise moderately, don't smoke, and limit your intake of alcoholic beverages, all of which help keep skin healthy. That's the part of men's skin care you don't often hear much about.

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