You know how one minute you’re talking to your friend about, oh, say getting a new gym bag, and the next minute you’re scrolling through Instagram and up pops an ad for the newest Under Armour gym bag?? Well, sometimes I feel like those tracking cookies can read my mind. This morning I was thinking about social media posts and blog ideas, and I considered doing some blogs and before and afters focused on injections and skin care for men. Not a few minutes later, I got an email from an educational skincare company and the top story was “Bring In the Men.” Hmmm….Just a coincidence?
It is true that men are, and have been over the last decade, a growing population in skincare and aesthetics. As the ladies of Body Tonic know first-hand, our own husbands and boyfriends take OUR products. One thing that surprised me about my now ex-boyfriend (is there some kind of sobbing emoji I can insert here?) is how many face care products he had. He was alll over the internet scouring for what would work best (and I think he liked some of the branding too😉). Then he started borrowing my Alpha Ret and my Skin Better Eye cream, using Skin Ceuticals face washes and toners, and he soon had people commenting on how great his skin looked.
So there’s definitely no gender difference on wanting to age gracefully. I’m not talking facelifts, frozen Botox and such, but just some simple procedures and products to minimize the deep static lines, improve pigmentation issues from years of sun damage, and improve skin texture.
So Part One of our Injections + Skincare for Men will be our top picks for products. What are the bare necessities? A retinoid, or prescription Retinol, is definitely number one. Skin Better’s Alpha Ret, and Alpha Ret Intensive, speed up cellular renewal, improve skin texture and lines (really!), and their proprietary formula allows the product to penetrate the skin barrier without causing the irritation that some experience with retinols like Retin-A. You’ll definitely notice a difference in your skin within 1-2 weeks.
Second, a daily physical sunscreen like any of the Elta MD facial SPFs. For a very succinct explanation of which one is best for your skin type, check out this past blog. Elta MD also offers a body SPF that doesn’t dry feeling chalky and doesn’t leave you smelling like sunscreen. It also comes in an Aero form which is great for reapplication.
If you’re interested in more than just the bare bones of skin care, an eye cream would be a great addition, as well as an appropriate facial cleanser. Eye creams like Skin Better’s Eye and Skin Ceuticals AGE Eye combat dark circles, puffiness, and texture with ingredients like caffeine, peptides, and vitamin C. Although you may see these ingredients on many drugstore products, the difference in these physician-dispensed lines is the molecule size of the ingredients and the mechanism of delivery (the ingredients need to be able to penetrate the skin barrier to work). All these lines have extensive research and proven results behind them.
Facial washes that are recommended for sensitive to normal skin: From Skin Ceuticals: Simply Clean, Replenishing Cleanser or Soothing Cleanser From Elta MD: Foaming Facial Wash For more acne prone skin: Skin Ceuticals LHA Cleanser or Obagi Clenziderm Foaming Wash
Read Part Two of Injections and Skincare for Men: Botox.