It’s often said that, like fine wines, men look better with age; we use words like rugged and distinguished to describe dudes who look a little more mature. Double standards aside, there’s a fine line between looking mature and looking old. No one wants to look old.
The fact that many men don’t have much of an anti-aging routine seems fine until it’s not. Men tend to neglect themselves, and they start addressing aging when it’s too late. The most important thing to know about anti-aging is you have to start early. There is no magic product that will completely erase wrinkles once they’ve formed, but a good skincare routine with the right ingredients will help slow their appearance so you don’t wake up one morning looking like a raisin.
For better or worse, women are taught to start taking steps to prevent the appearance of aging from an early age and spend most of their lives trying to prevent it. Men need to take a page from that book and train themselves to be proactive instead of reactive. Men worry about aging just as much as women do; they just don’t talk about it. And by not talking about it, they aren’t as prepared.
As people age, their skin gradually decreases its production of collagen, the substance that keeps skin tight and firm. They also lose fat in their faces, which, coupled with looser skin, means that wrinkles form and skin sags. In men, this most often starts to show around the eyes and around the chin and neck. Lines may become etched in the forehead and between the brows, which comes from years of furrowing. Skin may become drier and redness can become an issue.
None of this should scare you necessarily. Aging isn’t a bad thing; it’s a fact of life. Self-care is about giving yourself what you need; taking care of yourself has thousands of benefits, and reducing signs of age could be one, if that’s what you’re hoping for. An anti-aging-focused skincare routine isn’t just about trying to stop aging. Proper steps will make your skin look better in general, wrinkles or not. The first is creating a sustainable daily skincare routine. The next step is incorporating some of the following.
By now you know what exfoliation is and why it’s important, but it becomes even more important as you get older. The aging process slows down the rate at which your skin cells regenerate. On average, it takes about twenty-eight days for cells to turn over; as you get older, this timeline gets longer. As a result, dead skin cells stick around on the surface of your skin, which can lead to dryness, rough patches, and uneven skin tone. Your skin can also become more sensitive, which means that the facial scrub you’ve been using may turn out to be too harsh. Instead, use a chemical exfoliant regularly. Look for products containing alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic or lactic acid, as well as beta hydroxy acids like salicylic acid. Both types of acids help to gently dissolve the bonds that attach dead skin cells to your face and move them along without scrubbing. Some products are gentle enough to use every day, but if you’ve never used one before, start with once or twice a week and work your way up.
Moisturizing is the cornerstone to any skincare routine, and it only gets more important as you get older. The aging process means that as skin loses its ability to produce collagen, it also decreases its ability to retain moisture. Dry skin is duller, thinner looking, and more easily etched with fine lines and wrinkles. Using moisturizer daily can help with this, and as you get older, you may need to use heavier creams that help hydrate deeply and lock in moisture. Look for products that contain hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance that helps cells retain water, and ceramides, which help form a protective layer to prevent loss of moisture.
Signs of aging in the skin have been linked to things called free radicals, which can be caused from sun exposure, environmental pollution, and even your diet, and damage healthy cells (scientifically speaking, they steal electrons from other molecules). The best way to combat free radicals is with antioxidants, of which vitamin C is king. Just like you use vitamin C to strengthen your immune system inside your body, it can help strengthen skin when used in your skincare products. Vitamin C prevents oxidative stress caused by free radicals and can brighten skin, promote a more even skin tone, help lighten sun spots and hyperpigmentation, and even prevent lines and wrinkles from getting deeper. The best way to use it is to integrate a serum into your routine (apply it to your face after cleansing and before using moisturizer).
According to dermatologists, retinol is one of the most important ingredients you should be using in your skin care, whether you’re concerned with aging or not. That’s because this form of vitamin A has been studied for decades and has been shown to help with everything from aging to acne and may even prevent some forms of skin cancer. The secret is how it works: Retinol works below the surface of your skin to promote cell turnover and keep the regenerative timeline on track. Remember how the life cycle of your skin cells slows down as you age? Retinol helps prevent that. If you’ve struggled with acne you may already be using it (it’s the active ingredient in many prescription acne products). If you’re not, start now. Retinol can be irritating to your skin, especially when first using it, so start slow and apply it after cleansing at night once a week. Work up to using it every night. Retinol can also make your skin more sensitive to sun, so only apply it at night and wear sunscreen during the day.
Most dermatologists agree that sunscreen not only helps prevent skin cancer, but it’s also one of the most effective anti-aging remedies available. This is because damage from UV rays has been linked to nearly every form of aging from wrinkles to sagging skin. It’s because of those free radicals mentioned earlier; they are caused by sun exposure and have the ability to wreak havoc on your skin at a cellular level. Sunscreen is your best defense and should be worn daily. If you haven’t already, start now.