Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the biggest spender of all? Men’s skin-care continues to build momentum, though you may be surprised to hear that it’s not the 20-something urban-dwelling adults who are doing the spending. Instead, it’s the men in their senior years who are fueling the spending frenzy. Sales of men’s skin-care products for the past six months have totaled $32 million. This is small change when compared to what women spent in the same period (more like $20 billion over a six-month period), but this was a category many industry insiders considered stagnant just a few years ago (Source: Global Cosmetic Industry, February 2007, page 30). 
 $$$ CLINIQUE Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer, Combination to Oily Skin ($39.50 for 1.7 ounces). Clinique is one of the few skin-care lines whose moisturizers typically contain lots of great antioxidants, and all of their Continuous Rescue moisturizers are packaged in opaque tubes, which is excellent. This version is suitable for combination skin, but too heavy for oily skin or oily areas. It contains well-researched emollients, silicone, slip agents, Vaseline, several antioxidants, cell-communicating ingredients, and soothing plant extracts. The only frustrating element is that half of the really intriguing ingredients are listed after one of the preservatives, meaning that they’re basically window dressing rather than efficacious. However, even without the dustings of those ingredients this moisturizer can still be considered antioxidant-packed, and it is recommended for normal to slightly dry or slightly oily skin. And this moisturizer is fragrance-free. Find it!
Dear Paula, I am 35 years old, and for as long as I can remember I have had old-looking hands. My mother says that as an infant, I had very dry, wrinkly hands. I now use sunscreen daily on my hands to help prevent further lines and wrinkles, but I am wondering if there is anything I can do to make the skin on my hands look smoother. What about AHAs? If so, what percentage should I use, and which products and how often? Should I follow that with hand lotion? I ordered a foot cream through the mail; would you recommend this for my hands? Kelly, via e-mail Dear Kelly, A dermatologist can do nothing topically for your hands beyond the things you are already considering. Now it is just a matter of experimenting until you find the right combination. The foot cream you bought could be an option, but I suspect it may be a tad bit too strong for hands and much better for callused feet. Hands rarely ever require the same thing as the feet. The "secret" in the foot cream you ordered isn't really a secret. It contains urea, which, like AHAs, exfoliates the skin and also works as a water-binding agent, plus lactic acid, for additional exfoliation. You may want to consider an 8% AHA product in an emollient base to see if it creates a smoother appearance for your hands. You can try Alpha Hydrox Lotion or Cream 8% AHA, which can be found at the drugstore. However, you still need to use sunscreen on your hands to prevent any damage. Apply the sunscreen after you apply the AHA product. One more consideration: Be sure that any time your hands are in water or you are using cleaning products, you are either keeping them protected by wearing rubber gloves or applying moisturizer immediately afterward. Curel Ultra-Healing Lotion ($7.99 for 13 ounces) works great for dry hands and is not greasy. They also make a 2.5 ounce size that fits well into most purses or for at the office.
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