You've heard me talk at length about skincare – it's as essential to perfecting a man's appearance as a well-tailored suit or a sleek pair of oxfords. Yet, achieving the ideal for perfect skin is something a lot of guys skip out on.
It's something that requires patience, consistency, and discipline. You won't see results right away, but you WILL see them.
That being said, the same methods don't work for everyone. Different skin types necessitate different strategies.
So, which is yours?
Gentlemen, that's the topic of today's article – step one of proper men's skincare: Knowing your skin type.
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- Eudermic Skin
- Dry Skin
- Oily Skin & Seborrhea
- Combination Skin
- Sensitive Skin
- Breakout-Prone Skin
- Mature Skin
- How To Find Your Skin Type
1. Eudermic Skin – Normal & Balanced
When it comes to men's skincare, this is reserved for men with the luckiest of genes. If you have this, then I envy you.
Men with normal skin tend to have a naturally well-balanced amount of moisture and sebum. As a result, they experience few (if any) blemishes. Pores tend to be pretty small – so small that you can barely see them.
It only gets better – men with Eudermic skin benefit from a particularly radiant complexion with a smooth surface to boot.
What about resilience? They have it in spades. This skin type can take a pounding from the elements and stay pretty. Breakouts are extremely brief, disappearing soon after they appear.
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The Solution
Just because you have naturally hardy skin doesn't mean you're free from a routine. There are still preventative measures you can take to double the strength of your skin.
Make sure to wash every morning and every night as is recommended with the serum of your choice. Prioritize products with lots of Vitamin C. For even smoother skin, hunt down products with alpha-hydroxy acids.
2. Xerosis & Dry Skin
We got off to a positive start, but it's not all unicorns and rainbows. Most men aren't born with naturally lovely skin.
Enter dry skin – AKA Xerosis.
Men with Xerosis experience a particularly low level of sebum production. Since sebum makes up the skin's defense against the elements, then it means your shield is almost always down.
Your skin might feel tough and brittle. You might be dealing with a lot of itching and scaling. What's more, redness and irritation are all-too-common.
Gents, you're not alone. Xerosis accounts for about half of all visits to the Dermatologist.
So, what's a guy to do?
The Solution
If the problem is that you need moisture, then logic dictates that you should avoid particularly brutal products designed to strip oils from your face.
You'll want products with aloe, glycerin, ceramides, and hyaluronic acids. Considering that your skin is so dry, you may get away with washing just once a day – replacing one wash with a simple rinse achieved by a splash of water.
Boost hydration with a hyaluronic serum and moisturizer for your nighttime wash. Be on the lookout for ingredients such as jojoba oil, sunflower seed oil, and apricot oil.
3. Oily Skin & Seborrhea
Having overactive sebaceous glands that produce too much oil is a condition known as Seborrhea.
It's essentially the opposite of dry skin – but not in a good way. Sure, the skin might look plump and youthful, but its pores are probably much larger and easy to spot. Men with this skin type are also at the mercy of frequent acne breakouts.
Does your skin look shiny in the mirror? Does your cheek leave behind a layer of grease on your cell phone after you make a call? I'm sorry, gents, but you might have Seborrhea.
The Solution
Every morning, you'll need a cleanser that'll break through all that oil that your skin produced as you slept. Try washes with clay or mild exfoliants as well as salicylic acid. By applying small bits of balancing serum after the fact, you trick your skin into dealing out less sebum (since it's already there) and thus mitigating the issue.
What about in the evenings? Gents, it's time for the double-cleanse. Start with an oil cleanser before dishing out a second barrage with your morning wash. Finish off with a toner containing hazel and/or salicylic exfoliant.
Finally, finish it off with some water-based gel cream.
4. Combination Skin
I've heard Combination skin referred to as the mullet of men's skincare – in that it brings together two different factors into something… pretty abhorrent.
Combination men have to deal with their skin being overly dry in some regions while being too oily in others. Dryness in the cheeks while oiliness pervades the forehead and nose (the T-zone) are common.
It's quite a conundrum! However, there is hope.
The Solution
At the start of every day, you need a gel or lotion-based cleanser. If you opt for gel, then double-check to see if it contains glycerin or some oils. Neglecting them will totally dry out your skin, which just exacerbates the problem.
Next, you need to pat some hyaluronic serum on the drier areas before rubbing some water gel on the whole face.
What about before bed? Use your morning cleanser and then apply some hazel or liquid salicylic acid on the oily parts. Apply hyaluronic acid to the dry areas before finishing off with some gel cream all over.
5. Sensitive Skin
If you're the guy who has the misfortune of dealing with sensitive skin, you might be intimately familiar with redness, bumps, and burning sensations.
Your skin responds badly to a myriad of external triggers – be it stress, weather, spicy food or even caffeine! These might even be symptoms of a condition called Rosacea.
A good rule of thumb for sensitive skin is to avoid any and all products whose chemicals are potentially harsh. Soft & caring is the name of the game.
Men with sensitive skin need to focus on ingredients that soothe above all else.Â
The Solution
Begin every day with milk-based or cream cleanser. Avoid any and all fragrances attached to the product, as those chemicals can trigger a bad reaction. You need soothing ingredients like green tea and ceramides. These have the added effect of boosting natural skin defenses.
At night, you can get away with using your morning products. Stability and consistency are key to this routine. Do not introduce new chemicals once you find products that work well with your skin.
6. Breakout-Prone Skin
This is probably the EASIEST skin type to spot. We're talking blackheads and whiteheads galore. You might even find cysts that can cause serious pain.
NO, it's not the same as oily skin. While sufferers of Seborrhea might deal with breakouts more than others, skin that is prone to breaking out may not even be oily.
People who are dealing with hormonal changes – both in men and women – can be subjected to this.
The Solution
First, you need to determine whether or not your skin is dry or oily, then proceed with any of the appropriate cleansers already mentioned. Follow up with a liquid salicylic acid formula to clean those pores up. Then, apply benzoyl peroxide to pimples and wait for it to dry. Throw on the appropriate moisturizer at the end.
Before you hit the hay, wash up with your morning cleanser. Make sure to use the peroxide treatment if there is still a breakout. Once again, end with moisturizer.
7. Mature Skin
As the name implies, issues with mature skin arise naturally with age. These include increased dryness, lines, and sunspots.
You CAN be young and still have to deal with mature skin.
Here are some symptoms:
- You have fine lines while your face is resting.
- You have red or brown discoloration on certain parts of the skin, AKA Poikiloderma or sunspots.
- You might have broken blood vessels, which are actually a sign of damage dealt by sun exposure.
The Solution
Clean up with a lotion-based cleanser in the morning before patting on some targeted serum. Look for peptides, hyaluronic acid for fine lines, and antioxidants. Apply some thick moisturizer afterward.
Your evening routine should consist of your morning cleanser followed by the application of retinol. Then, finish up with your favorite moisturizer.
8. Finding Out Which Skin Type You Have
We've learned a lot regarding men's skincare and skin types today. If you're not sure which one is yours, then there are two methods you can use to find out.
1: The Bare-Faced Method
Simply wash your face and pat it dry, but refrain from applying any additional moisturizers. After about 30 minutes, check your face to see if there is any shine. After another 30 minutes, check again to see if your skin feels bone-dry.
If it feels tight, then you probably have a dry skin type. If there is clear shine on your forehead and nose, you have Combination skin. When it's shiny all around, then you have oily skin.
Use blotting paper to check what your skin type is based on the oils left on it.
2: The Blotting Method
This is an excellent way to tell between oily and dry skin. Take some blotting paper and pat it against the different regions on your face. Hold the sheet up against the light to see how much oil was left behind.
If there's just oil from the nose and forehead, you've got Combination skin. If it's saturated with oil from everywhere else, you're dealing with oily skin.
Summary – Men's Skincare
- Eudermic Skin
- Dry Skin
- Oily Skin & Seborrhea
- Combination Skin
- Sensitive Skin
- Breakout-Prone Skin
- Mature Skin
- How To Find Your Skin Type
Life is not simple, and neither is skin. Each of us has to deal with a unique skin type that brings with it its own series of challenges. Luckily for us, there is always a solution.
