I never thought much about
I’m lucky to have a decent complexion and balanced skin (as far as I can tell), but as I get older, I place importance on taking the necessary steps to keep it that way.
Ideally, I’ll look youthful for as long as possible, and I’m sure you feel the same way. That involves not only eating well and getting the right nutrients into your body, but also finding the right products to apply to your skin.
I’ve asked Josh of Brickell Mens Products to give EG readers a basic rundown of how to best protect our skin, especially the skin on our face.
Hope this helps. Take it away, Josh…
As a man, a few wrinkles on your face can really add character (it works for Clooney and Schwarzenegger), but you shouldn’t be racing to deck your face with crow’s feet, wrinkles, and lines.
The best way to prevent a leathery face is a good defense. This means protecting yourself from the sun’s harmful rays and having an effective, daily skincare regimen.
Sometimes though, you need a little more and this is where anti-aging products can help. Most products however, promise a lot of fairy tales and white lies. The fact is, nothing outside of surgery will permanently remove wrinkles and lines.
Truly good products can help minimize wrinkles and even prevent new ones from appearing. Read on to find out the truth about anti-aging products and learn expert strategies to help combat the signs of aging.
How Men Age Throughout The Decades
Men usually start worrying about lines, wrinkles, and crow’s feet on their face either when a significant other points them out, or during one of the following two periods of life:
Late 20s – early 30s
Around this age is when a man first starts showing signs of aging: he can’t drink like he used to, it takes longer to bounce back from an injury, and he also starts seeing wrinkles.
Some men ignore these wrinkles, while others wonder “how the hell do I prevent these things?”
Late 40s – early 50s
Arguably, this is the peak of a man’s life – not only in career, but personally as well. Unfortunately though, every morning in the mirror is a man that looks 10 years older than he feels.
This can put downward pressure on advancing any further in a career.
“WHY am I looking older and what the heck can I do about it?!”
Fine lines appear as you age because your cells produce less collagen (the skin’s structural protein), causing your skin to thin and lose elasticity.
The less collagen your skin has underneath it, the less water it can retain, causing skin folds (wrinkles/lines). Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid this, as it is a natural biological process.
In fact, smoking, not getting enough sleep, eating unhealthy foods, not keeping up with basic grooming, and being in the sun without sunscreen can accelerate this.
On the up-side, one of the many great things about being a guy is that your skin is naturally 25% thicker than a woman’s (1). This means your underlying skin structure is stronger, and you’ll age better and can more easily turn back the years of neglect.
“If I apply _______ to my face, will I stay looking young?”
You might think a new anti-aging “miracle cure” comes out every few months and you’re right. Frankly, most do not work as they’re sold by either someone trying to make a quick buck, or because they’re based on some biased scientific study. Any reputable dermatologist will tell you the same thing.
As far as science has confirmed, the only real way to turn back the clock (or make it appear that way) is to get cosmetic surgery. However, you will be opening yourself up to a whole host of complications including botched procedures, undesirable side effects, and the potential have your face look like a rigid piece of plastic.
This leaves us with a small number of anti-aging products that can help reverse some of the signs of aging. As with most things in life, you usually do get what you pay for and the better products will carry a larger price tag.
Among these products, you should also pick ones that use natural ingredients as synthetic chemicals are well known to dry out and irritate the face (which can cause aging), in addition to many being known toxins. (2)
What To Look For In Your Skin Care Products
The following natural ingredients give you your best chance of turning back the clock:
DMAE (Dimethylethanolamine)
It might sound synthetic, but it’s actually a powerful natural ingredient that helps prevent and correct the loss of skin elasticity. Wrinkles are most affected by the atrophy of facial muscles underneath them, and DMAE helps keep these muscles strong, helping your skin appear firmer, smoother, and with less lines. (3)
Aloe Vera
Known as the “plant of immortality” by the Egyptians, Aloe Vera has been used for centuries to keep skin looking young and firm. While well known as a sunburn treatment, many studies have shown Aloe Vera to be effective in fighting aging due to the plethora of antioxidants within it and its powerful moisturizing capabilities. (4)
Hyaluronic Acid
Often referred to as the “Fountain of Youth”, this gel-like water holding molecule retains over 1,000 times its weight in water, thus making it the ultimate moisturizer (5). Unfortunately, as we age, our natural hyaluronic acid levels decline to be only half the required amount needed by our body.
Stay Looking Youthful With This Quick And Easy Routine
Now that we know what causes the signs of aging and the natural ingredients that help prevent them, we can create a plan to prevent and possibly reverse the signs of aging.
Adopt the following easy, effective routine and as time goes on, you will see noticeable results:
1. Wash your face twice a day (morning and night)
This removes oil, dirt, and dead skin which can prevent your skin from looking its best. Don’t wash your face much more than this though, as it will remove moisture from your skin. Look for natural ingredients over synthetic chemicals that irritate and dehydrate the face.
2. Moisturize
At least once a day, make sure to rub moisturizer gently on your face, especially around your eyes and forehead where wrinkles more commonly appear on men. If you’re especially worried about tired, weathered eyes, use an eye cream for men – not only will it reduce and prevent future wrinkles, it will reduce bags and puffiness.
3. Anti-aging cream
Use a natural men’s anti-aging cream every night after you have washed your face. Once more be sure to add ample amounts to your forehead and around your eyes, where you are most susceptible to wrinkles.
4. Use sunscreen (in moderation)
Many people suggest using a product that combines face moisturizer and sun screen in one product. We think this is a bad idea – nearly every SPF product carries a host of strong chemicals and putting them on your face daily can cause irritation, break outs, and dryness.
Therefore, use a good men’s moisturizer daily and if you plan to be in the sun longer than 30 minutes, put some SPF 20+ on top of it.
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There you have it!
With these tips, you can now go forward and face looking energized and youthful for years to come.
What’s YOUR Routine?
What, if any,
By the way, if you want to try out Brickell Men’s Products, Josh gave EG readers a coupon code for 20%, valid until 1/22. Just type in “EGREADERS” (no quotes) at checkout.
