Let’s talk about men!

Personally, I’ve always liked men – they are not complex, say it how it is, are able to forgive fast, don’t compete with each other, have an air of naughtiness and are generally always fun and easy to be around!

But when I look at my client database there is one thing noticeably missing – MEN! This has caused me to ponder the question, why don’t men look after their skin?

I think gender assumptions and societal influences play a big part. Even with the emergence of the metro male and men becoming more conscious of their appearance, most advertising in the skin health domain focuses on female beauty, youthfulness and anti-aging. Men seldom feature in advertisements, beyond razor blades and shaving creams, with marketing primarily targeting women. So, is it fair to assume that most men don’t care about their skin? Not necessarily … men are becoming more conscious of their appearance.

I’ve been taking my own straw poll with the male clients I do have and the verdict – typically they have never been taught to care for their skin and don’t know where to start. Most of the say why would I do that and what would I do?

To answer your questions, it’s all in good health! The skin is the largest organ of your body and protects you from bacteria and viruses, free radicals such as smog, dust, cigarette smoke and the sun, enables the sensations of touch, heat and cold and regulates the body temperature. Like your teeth, it’s with you for life and we all know that brushing is good for our teeth and skin health is just as important.

Male skin has smaller sebaceous (oil) glands than female skin but because of testosterone, it generally produces more oil secretions. Higher oil production in the skin means that the skin of a man is more susceptible to acne related problems and other skin conditions. These can all be managed through effective skin care.

Whilst male skin is thicker than female skin, the skin on a man’s face is more delicate. This is because men historically have taken less care of their skin, tends to be exposed more often to damaging environmental elements, daily shaving destroys the protective film, known as the hydrolipidic film, that covers the entire surface of the skin. This leads to loss of natural lubrication and protection. Daily shaving also causes scraping and nicks. All of these result in men’s skin becoming more sensitised and more easily irritated.

Male skin becomes thinner with age and non-melanoma skin cancer is more common in men, with almost double the incidence compared to women in Australia.

Establishing a good skin care regime, at any stage in life, will help prevent further damage and initiate a restorative process.

So, to all the gents out there here’s the answer to why you should look after your skin! In terms of what you should do, everyone’s skin is different so one size does not fit all. Come and see us at Skindevour and  we will diagnose your skin type, recommend a starter treatment and prescribe some products that will help you initiate your daily routine. The good news is, it’s nowhere near as time-consuming as you might think but it is equally as important as using an SPF!

Especially for men and just in time for Father’s Day, we have a Men’s Cleanse – express microdermabrasion, enzyme peel and steam for only $69.  Treat the special man in your life to an introductory experience of skin care and get them lovin’ the skin they’re in. To book visit the Skindevour website.