WHAT IS SKIN?

The skin is our largest organ. It works as protection for our internal organs against the outside surroundings. On average, our skin is approximately 2 mm thick, but there are places where it is significantly thinner or thicker. On the palms and on the bottoms of the feet, the skin can be as thick as 4.7 mm, while it is only 0.12 mm thick around the eyes. A man's skin is about 24% thicker than a woman's, and has a firmer, more elastic and compact structure. Men do not get wrinkles as easily as women either, since their skin contains more collagen which keeps it pliant.

Why skincare?

Your skin is affected by how you live and what you eat and drink. Skin that gets the vitamins and the treatment that it needs is more resilient against external effects and therefore more problem free. Eat healthy, nutritious food, exercise, make sure to drink enough water, sleep properly, avoid smoking and large amounts of alcohol, and invest in a good skincare program and your skin will look fresh and healthy! There are many products available to help you obtain a healthier and more easily managed skin, and at gents we do our best to help you find products that fit you. The first step is to identify your skin type and learn what works well for you and your lifestyle.

Normal skin

If you have never considered what skin type you have, there is a good chance that you have normal skin. Normal skin is elastic and transparent, does not peel or become oily. If you have this type of skin, you can use the most common products.

Having problem-free skin does not mean that you can ignore skincare. It means that you have good prerequisites for continuing to have very good results if you put some effort in.

Oily skin

Oily skin is recognized with visible pores and a shiny surface with oily sections. This is especially common on the forehead and nose. Blackheadsare often common (small dark spots of sebum in the pores).

Unfortunately, oily skin easily suffers from blemishes, and it can be difficult to get the skin to look matt. Oily skin however does have one large advantage over other skin types – it ages later and much more comfortably than dry skin.

Men generally have more oily skin than women since we have larger sebaceous glands that can produce a larger amount of oil. As mentioned above, this can make the skin shiny, but oil is also the skin's natural protector and reduces the risk of wrinkles.

The most common mistake that men make to remove the skin's shine is to wash it with products that are strong and dry it out. This makes the skin react by producing even more oil and makes the skin even shinier.

When you wash your face and neck, which you should do every morning and evening, you should avoid scrubbing too hard since this stimulates the oil production. Think about using a mild gel or a facial cleanser, for instance Clarins Men Active Face Wash, which cleanses without being drying. The correct pH value is 4.4 - 5.5.

You should avoid using oily products on your face and use oil-free products instead. It is possible you may not need a moisturizer at all. Among gents' products, Dermalogica Overnight Clearing Gelis specifically suited for you.

Try to do a mild scrub2-3 times per week. This helps the skin to look fresher, and makes it more responsive to the beneficial ingredients in the skin cream.

Dry skin

Dry skin has a tendency to crack and flake. It can tighten over the face, especially directly after cleansing. It is difficult to see pores in dry skin, but it requires special care since it is more prone to crack, flake and, after a while, to become wrinkly.

You can perform a moisture test to see if your skin is dry. Place a thick layer of moisturizer on your face. After 5-10 minutes, if there is no moisturizer left on the surface, your skin has absorbed the moisturizer like a sponge! Since your skin seems very thirsty, it may be a good idea to redo this test once a week. You should regularly use a facial maskthat can provide moisture and nutrition to the skin.

Another tip is not to dry the skin entirely after you have washed it, but let it remain slightly damp while you apply the moisturizer. This makes the water more easily bound, and the skin can more easily absorb the vitamin-filled cream. Heavier creamsprotect better than thin ones, and a night cream (an extra oily moisturizing cream) is highly recommended as nourishment while you sleep

Combination skin

Many men have combination skin, for instance oily skin on the forehead, on the chin and on the nose, and dry skin on the cheeks.

The forehead, chin and nose are together called the T-zone. This area has oily skin with enlarged pores and blackheads. The chin and neck is less oily, and sometimes even rather dry.

Combination skin can be relatively complicated, since the best method to obtain a balanced skin is to choose products that treat the two areas separately. On the oily sections, you can avoid moisturizer, while you can use it well on the drier sections. You can use oil-based products on the drier portions, for instance Clarins Men Line-Control Cream, and oil-free, for instance Dermalogica Overnight Clearing Gelon the more oily parts.