For men, anti-ageing wellness can be a little embarrassing. You have just as much need to take care of your wellbeing as your female counterpart, but there still seems to be some sort of misplaced stigma about men who look after their appearance and body. This is why many men just use the products their wives or girlfriends buy, but Shonagh Walker, award-winning wellness journalist and author of Cellulite My Arse!, argues that this is a major wellness mistake. So why is it a bad idea to use your partner’s skincare products?
1. You have thicker skin: ‘A guy’s complexion is a little more rough and ready than a woman’s,’ Walker explains. ‘As such, you need your products to pack a little bit more punch, while still addressing your specific skin care needs. As such, you want to buy formulas that are specifically created for men.’ It’s not just the thickness of your skin that makes you different to your wife or girlfriend; the hormones going on beneath the skin’s surface also means you need a different approach to skincare: ‘You…have more testosterone than the girls, which is sometimes linked to oiliness and blemishes,’ says Walker. ‘So, you might want to find a mattifying product or oil control product and add it to your skin care regime.’
2. You’re a big, hairy man: Walker points out, ‘You have growth that comes out of your face every day and it can cause all kinds of skin issues. Firstly, you are prone to shaving rash, so you need products that have built in calming properties into the formula. Secondly, as you’re shaving the hair daily, or at least a few times each week, you might become prone to ingrown hairs, which can not only be unsightly, but they can also be quite painful.’ She advises, ‘Look for a quality exfoliating product in your chosen skin care regime, or at least a cleanser that has glycolic acid in its formula to help keep the hair follicle unclogged and allow for the hair to grow through freely.’
3. You’re more sweaty: It’s just a fact that men sweat more than women, as is the unfortunate truth that your skin is exposed to bacteria, pollution and oil. According to Walker, if these three toxins ‘are allowed to stay put on your skin, they can get all blended up with your sweat, clog your pores and lead to blackheads and acne. You need quality cleansers designed to counteract this and as mentioned above, a really great exfoliating product.’
4. You age more slowly: Ok, the first three points didn’t perhaps paint male skin in the best light, but the good news is that you age more slowly than your female partner – you lucky thing. As a man, ‘your skin tends to stay strong, firm and unwrinkled for longer than women’s,’ Walker notes. ‘As such, you really don’t deserve to be helping yourself to our super expensive anti-ageing formulas.’ In fact, Walker asserts that you can probably get by with a cheaper, effective formula and a really great sun block – what a win!
5. You don’t wear make-up: Again, this is one area of skincare and beauty where men win out. Not having to wear make-up means you won’t need as many ingredients that work to counter the effects of make-up. You also don’t have to go through the entire rigmarole that women do with twice daily cleansing. However, Walker adds that you still need to cleanse every day, so you can’t get away with it that easily.
