Men's skin care

Found the following article on men's skin care. With summer here it is essential that we take care of our skin and guys are especially not good about doing this - including yours truly. But I am going to start and here is some good advice.

A Skin Care Makeover For Men

Many men prefer an "essentials only" skincare routine.

By Evita N. Torre

Have you noticed his products crowding yours out of the medicine cabinet? You're not alone. Call it the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy effect; men are catching on that clear, soft skin looks great on everyone. Is your guy still using bar soap and water? Here, a starter routine -- with tips from Queer Eye's Kyan Douglas and others -- to get him up to speed:

Exfoliate "Every man should have a form of exfoliation. A gentle scrub is probably the most practical," recommends Douglas, the resident grooming guru on Bravo's hit makeover show. An exfoliator will get rid of ingrown hairs and the dead skin cells that cause them, and will remove the grayish sheen haunting your man's mug.

Shave Following a shower, your guy should apply pre-shave oil to soften the beard. Some argue it dulls the razor, but, either way, blades should be changed weekly. Next, apply shaving cream and wait 30 seconds to let it soften the hair. Shave slowly with the grain, making only one pass over each section. Begin with the sides of the face and end with the lips and neck. "Shaving in the shower should be done at the end of the shower so that the beard has had time to soften," advises Douglas.

"To make your blades last longer, soak your razor overnight in mineral oil. It will prevent bacteria growth and water corrosion," suggests Dr. Howard Steinman, a dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon in Chula Vista, California.

Cleanse Just say no to soap. Instead, he should adopt a cleanser for his specific skin type: oily, dry, or combination. "Following a shower, if your skin feels tight, it's dry. If your nose and cheeks are greasy, it's oily. If you're oily in your T-zone (brows, nose, cheeks) but dry around the edges of your face, it's combination," says Dr. Steinman. Not sure which brand of cleanser to get? Dermatologists' favorite drugstore brands include Cetaphil and Neutrogena.

Tone Toners remove any traces of dirt and should be used all over the face for oily skin and in the T-zone for combination skin (if you have dry skin, skip it). Beware of brands with high alcohol content, which can dry out the skin. "Witch hazel, available in economy sizes at the drugstore, is a great alternative," recommends Anna Augustsson, an aesthetician at New York's men-only spa, Nickel.

Moisturize This product does exactly what its name implies: it rehydrates the skin with water. Dot the moisturizer around the face, beginning with the forehead and working down to the neck. If his skin is oily, he may be able to skip moisturizer altogether. Is your guy starting to look a little too weathered? Eye creams are for men, too. Gently dot a small amount around crow's feet (the wrinkles around the eye) and the undereye area.

Sunscreen This is the most important step to prevent both aging and cancer. He should use an SPF of at least 15 every day. The Sun Protection Factor multiplies the maximum amount of time you can spend in the sun before you turn pink. So, if your guy is fair-skinned, he may need to use an even higher SPF.

Fight Acne Acne is, unfortunately, not just a teenage problem. "Salicylic