The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
4 winter skin tips for men
Avoid letting cold weather take its toll on your style.
Winter’s arrival, for many guys, means scheduling a furnace inspection, checking the antifreeze in the car and, maybe, sending sweaters and coats out to the cleaners for a quick spruceup. But what about your face? Let’s face it, most guys don’t want to be bothered.
Even with sunglasses, scarves, ski caps, earmuffs and a Yukon Cornelius beard — your precious mug is still going to need some care to get through winter. We asked the pros for a few winter skin survival tips, and it’s not going to be hard or messy or complicated.
1. Use sunscreen
“The sun’s UV rays are still hitting our skin, no matter what the season,” said Dr. Ariel Ostad, a New York dermatologist and spokesman for The Skin Cancer Foundation. Fifteen or 20 minutes of sun a day, over a lifetime, adds up to months of exposure — and sun damage, he said, noting that skin cancer is at an all-time high. Yet, there are men who don’t like to wear sunscreen, Ostad said, adding that the “best” sunscreen is “something someone will actually use.”
The doctor recommends a “broad spectrum” sunscreen (which, as the Mayo Clinic notes on its website — www.mayoclinic.org — protects your skin from both types of harmful ultraviolet light, UVA and UVAB rays) with an SPF (sun protection factor) of 30 or higher. “Really cover your face, ears and back of the neck,” he said. “The key is to reapply often if you’re outside all day playing sports.”
2. Moisturize
“Men don’t like putting anything on their face,” said Ostad. “They shave, wash their face and walk out.” But there’s less moisture in the winter, he noted, and as you age, there’s less collagen in the skin, which can result in wrinkling and saggy skin, according to Health. com (www.health.com). Taken together, the doctor added, it’s “a bad recipe for dryness of the skin,” and winter dryness can exacerbate skin conditions such as eczema, rosacea and acne. “The importance of moisturizer use is critical,” he said. You can even buy a moisturizer that’s also a sunscreen, merging two steps into one. “That really makes it easy,” he said. “The key is to reapply the moisturizer.”
3. Protect lips and eyes
Use lip balm containing a sunscreen, and don sunglasses to protect the eye area when outdoors in wintertime, Ostad recommends.
4. Put down the soap
“Don’t use soap so much. Just rinse with water if you can,” said Ostad, noting that soap contains ingredients that can remove essential oils and leave the skin irritated. If you think you need a cleanser, he suggests a mild, gentle product.