There’s a lot of information available to men on improving your skincare and products that can help with anti-ageing, however something often overlooked is what we are currently doing everyday that damages our skin. Not only are you causing harm to your body, but you’re actively reducing the effectiveness of your skincare products. So here are a few things that you experience almost everyday and how we recommend reducing their impact.
1) Overuse of Indoor Swimming Pools
To clarify, we’re not arguing against a good swimming regime, however the effects Chlorine can have on your skin can potentially cause a great deal of irritation and damage. Even after a post-swim shower, chlorine can stick to the skin for hours and react with cleansers, moisturisers and everyday pollution. This can result in issues such as dry skin, spots and rashes that are not only uncomfortable but will actively degrade the elasticity and strength of the epidermis.
We Recommend: Using a bodywash rather than simply standing under the water helps. Washes with extra bubbles or an exfoliating shower gel will help remove more of the chlorine and help reduce the damage it does to your skin.
2) Air Conditioning
In the current summer heat you experience air conditioning in almost every area of your life including your car, the office, your home and the gym. Most A/C systems tend to cool the air and dry it to reduce the humidity in the air, however your skin needs this moisture and removing it makes dries it out and chokes pores.This can lead to spot break-outs, dry skin patches and issues with visible roughness across the epidermal layer.
We Recommend: Where possible, try to open a window and create a breeze, this will help with the warm temperature but not remove water from the air thereby giving your skin time to breathe. If you can’t avoid the A/C, like in the office, then make sure to drink plenty of water and have a cool shower at the end of the day.
3) Aerosols
Aerosol cosmetics and hair products tend to contain a variety of chemicals that are extremely bad for your skin, products such as shaving foam, hairsprays, deodorants and even air fresheners can cause a great deal of irritation if they regularly come into contact with your skin. Furthermore, these chemicals can react to products on your skin and reduce their effectiveness, creating further issues.
We Recommend: Avoiding aerosols altogether is probably the best way to reduce their impact, swap aerosols shaving foams/gels for creams and deodorant sprays to roll-ons or sticks. When applying hairspray, keep a towel over your forehead to ensure none lands on the skin below the hairline.
So those are some of our tips to help you with your skincare and avoid permanent damage. As usual if you’ve enjoyed the article then do feel free to like, comment and share this with your friends/followers. You can also sign-up to be notified of new posts and follow The Male Stylist activity. If you have any comments or tips that you’d like to add feel free to leave them in the comments below.
By Adam Walker
