Men's Skin Care - Tailored Treatments

Skin Deep – October 2013

Welcome to ‘Skin Deep’ – This month’s feature looks at our ‘Men’s Skin Care’.

Any questions, just ask Dr. Angie Winnington-Sharp – www.cheshireskinclinic.com angie@cheshireskinclinic.com or 01925 263660 & 07967 481594.  Next month – ‘Skin Care Special Secrets’.

Male skin care is one of the fastest growing markets within the industry at present. Much of this can be attributed to the number of products aimed directly at ‘male grooming’ and ‘men’s health’ magazines.

To maximise the results when treating any skin conditions on male skin it is imperative to remember the key differences between male and female skin tendencies, most of which can be attributed to the higher androgenic activity. This results in hair growth patterns, hair loss and a more severe type of acne (although this tends to be shorter-term). Men rarely suffer from the pigmentation abnormality called melasma, which is normally attributed to changes in the oestrogen levels and common around pregnancy, hence a mainly female area of concern.

As men tend to shave facial hair on a regular basis this causes the skin on the face to be thicker, hence products tend to have fewer emollients (softening agents) in them when directly targeting men, but they may benefit from barrier substances to minimise inflammation. The application of Sun Protection Factor (SPF) also tends to be less frequent for men, resulting in the appearance of pigmentation, broken capillaries and general sun damage, which becomes more noticeable and severe during the late 30s. It is this latter point which tends to lead men in this age bracket to seek treatments using pulsed light/laser devices, which are commonly employed to remove/reduce redness and excess pigment in areas commonly exposed to the sun i.e. the nose, cheeks and forehead. All of which can be treated successfully and with minimal discomfort – this time of year is ideal to start these treatments as it tends to be when tans are fading, hence the conditions look more prominent and respond much faster to short burst of energy.