Gender assumptions do not really work these days. There are girls who are more into black than they are into pink and there are guys who do not feel shy about wearing pink at all.
Sometimes, for all these assumptions, blame it on societal influences—maybe we weren't taught to change, and now don't know where to start. The same applies to skin and facial care for men. There are plenty of guys these days that would actually get worried about break-outs and scars on their face, for various societal reasons. Once upon a time, they probably didn’t know where to start, but now that the trend has caught on, everyone has a reason to worry about their looks and appearance. Every guy knows that a woman is attracted to a guy who could groom and take care of himself.
So for those who don’t really know how to start or if you are actually doing it right, let’s give you a brief introduction on what’s important and perhaps, some need-to-knows.
First, you have to know your skin type before you even start purchasing your skin care products. There are many ways to find this out, including the popular tissue test. Just wash your face with a mild cleanser, pat it dry, and then wait for a few minutes. Then hold a facial tissue to your face for another few minutes, and observe the outcome. If the tissue is dry, your skin is probably on the dry-to-sensitive side. If there is some oil on it, it’s very likely oily. But if the tissue is just a little moist, you’re somewhere in between. You may now choose your facial products accordingly. Alternatively and to make matters easier, you could just walk into any of our Men’s Skincare Centres for a skin analysis. The state-of-the-art 3D facial skin analyser could analyse your skin with utmost precision and tell you what your skin type is and what range of products or treatments would suit your skin best.
Second, if you are in your 20s or just starting a proper facial routine, most dermatologists say that you should try to wash your face twice a day, at least. To obtain best results, washing twice a day with a cleanser to clear up the impurities and oil on your face is advisable. If you have a sensitive skin that dries up every time you wash your face, you may consider a mild cleanser that could still do the job pretty well. And this routine could be completed with basic skin care products thereafter, including toner and moisturiser. If you are going out, consider applying sun block too, which we will discuss more later on.
Third, try to recognise the ingredients within the products you buy, and the ones that are known to work. There could be thousands of new products coming out every other day from many different brands, but a lot of them would one way or another contain popular and known-to-work choice of ingredient that helps to unclog pores, kills acne-causing bacteria, exfoliates dead skin cells, reduces redness, and soothes the skin's surface.
Fourth, practice consistent routines to see best results. As we have indicated earlier, every other time you cleanse, you should consider completing the course with toner and moisturiser thereafter. Toner would remove any excess dirt and impurities from your skin. And after all that cleaning and toning regimes, your skin would be left exposed to harmful pollutants and contaminants, from outside and even from within. So it goes without saying that moisturiser would play an important role every time you cleanse and apply toner on your face. Hydrating your face keeps it generally looking good, prevents aging and wrinkles, and prevents excess oil production. For more specific problems such as forehead wrinkles and crows-feet around your eyes, you could also consider applying anti-aging creams or eye creams during the day or before going to bed every night.
Last but not least, don’t forget sunscreen or SPF before leaving the house. If you thought this was just for girls, think again. If you expose your skin every day to sun, after a while it will get dull, fade, and start to have pigmentation. All the problems would repeat and all your cleansing and moisturising efforts would be wasted. So it is advisable to start your day with a moisturiser that has SPF properties every morning to have your skin protected from harmful rays and hydrated throughout the day at the same time.