Men's Skin Care Normal to Dry Skin Step 1 - Wash One Step Face Cleanser Normal to Dry Skin Step 2 - Shave Close Comfort Shave Gel Step 3 - Soothe Skin Relief Treatment Step 4 - Protect Skin Recovery Daily Moisturizing Lotion with SPF 15

Men's Skin Care Normal to Oily Skin Step 1 - Wash One Step Face Cleanser Normal to Oily/Combo Skin Step 2 - Shave Close to Comfort Gel Step 3 - Soothe Skin Relief Treatment Step 4 - Protect Skin Balancing Daily Mattifying Lotion SPF 15

Men’s Skin Care: It’s a Problem
Shaving Without Pain or Redness? Yes!
A Skin-Care Guide for Guys
Paula's Choice Skin-Care Routines for Men

Men’s Skin Care:It’s a Problem

Over the past several years there has been a marked increase in the number of men's skin-care products. You would think this long ignored segment of the cosmetics industry would be good news for guys looking to take better care of their skin, but that just isn’t the case. One major downside is that now men have about the same opportunity to waste money on unnecessary or problematic skin-care products as women do.

What is especially pathetic is that for some bizarre reason, men’s skin care products are by and large formulated badly, and I mean really badly. Aside from bad formulations most men’s skin care lines don’t include sunscreen, state-of-the-art ingredients, or products with effective formulations for acne, razor burn, rosacea, and on and on.

Note: the underlined “state-of-the-art ingredients” text above should take readers to the revised article on moisturizers (so readers can refer to what Paula means when she mentions “state-of-the-art ingredients”.

While it would be great if it were simple enough to recommend products from skin care lines "designed" for men it just wouldn’t be good or even average skin care. Men need to take great care of their skin just like women do. Here is the information every man needs to know to take great care of his skin—and it starts with ignoring most of the skin care brands specifically deigned for men!

Shaving Without Pain or Redness? Yes! 
If you shave, you’ve probably had the unfortunate experience of getting red bumps or irritation (usually called razor burn), but in reality it has very little to do with your razor. Rather, most shave creams or gels, pre-shave, and after-shave products contain an overwhelming mix of irritating ingredients such as alcohol, menthol, mint, and camphor, as well as high levels of potassium or sodium hydroxide.

These skin irritants are supposed to make the hair follicle and skin swell, forcing the hair up and away from the skin, supposedly allowing for a closer shave. Unfortunately, the irritation and resulting swelling cause redness, burning, and dry skin and can increase the chance of ingrown hairs.

Adding to the ouch-factor is that because the razor abrades the skin, the irritating ingredients you splash on afterward penetrate even deeper, making matters worse. Think of splashing aftershave on a cut or scrape on any other part of your body. Now, why would you want to do that to your face?

Basic skin-care rule number one for both men and women: If the skin-care product you use burns, irritates, tingles, causes the skin to become inflamed, or hurts, don't use it. 

A Skin-Care Guide for Guys 
What products should men use to take care of their skin? To start, all men need a gentle, water-soluble cleanser (Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Cleanser is a great option); a gentle shaving product (such as Paula's Choice Close Comfort Shave Gel), followed by a gentle, non-irritating aftershave or shaving lotion (which for all intents and purposes are just masculine names for a gentle toner and I would love for you to consider Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Toner for normal to oily skin or Paula’s Choice Moisture Boost Toner for normal to dry skin) or an alcohol-free topical anti-inflammatory product. Paula's Choice Skin Relief Treatment contains stabilized aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) with other anti-irritants and is designed to work beautifully as a gentle, effective after-shave for men or women.

Depending on your skin type you would follow with the same basic routine often recommended for women when it comes to acne, wrinkles, dry skin, oily skin, etc. Let go of the male/female stereotypes about skin because both men and women need the same ingredients and same protection to have healthy skin (think about it like diet, men and women both need a diet rich in antioxidants to be healthy, and it’s not like men need protein but women can go without.

Check out the information about your skin type and the product recommendations and you will be on your way to having the skin you want.

Paula's Choice Skin-Care Routines for Men
Based on the above recommendations, you may wish to consider these products for your skin type:

• Men's Skin Care - Normal to Dry Skin  
• Men's Skin Care - Normal to Oily Skin  
  

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