Occasional or often Eyes Wide Shut-inspired soirées aside, daily life generally affords your complexion the greatest level of exposure over any other bodily area of skin when it comes to visibility and memorability. Your face is your fortune, as the proverbial but problematic saying goes (is there is a disclaimer for those of us who are not Brad Pitt or Miranda Kerr?) - it’s the blue-chip real estate of your body’s largest organ. The thinner and more delicate skin surrounding your facial features requires a little more attention than the rest of your body when it comes to routine skin care, so here are some simple steps to take to refresh your face and get better skin.
1. Use A Facial Cleanser Daily
The face should be cleansed ideally twice daily – once in the morning and again at night. Facial skin is thinner than most bodily skin, so it is essential to wash it with facial cleansers fine-tuned to the more delicate composition of your visage, rather than simply using the same soap or shower gel you use to wash your body. Opt for a product targeted to your skin type – foaming cleansers, some with clays and acids, are ideal for oily skin while gentle cream-based cleansers are better suited to dry skin. Find the perfect facial cleanser to suit your skin type on our Face Wash page.
2. Drink Less but Stay Hydrated
Aside from being one of the non-negotiable requisites for not dying, staying optimally hydrated by drinking water throughout the day is a simple but effective way to maintain your skin’s natural moisture levels and elasticity. And while a couple of beers or glasses of Riesling may seem fairly harmless, alcohol dehydrates the skin, inflames tissue and often causes a histamine reaction manifesting as redness of the skin. If you are partial to a few bevvies, drink in moderation and stay hydrated with plenty of water as you go.
3. Exfoliate Every Other Day
Face scrubs or exfoliants work by buffing the facial skin, removing skin debris, unclogging pores and blackheads, and clearing away excess sebum (the oily substance that coats and protects your skin). Exfoliants also assist to gently unearth ingrown hairs. As a general rule, they should not be used every day as overuse will strip the skin of its natural oils and moisture levels. Like sandpaper though, exfoliants vary in their grades of coarseness, with finer compositions suited to more frequent use and more hard-hitting granular compositions best used sparingly once or twice per week. Most exfoliants are targeted to specific skin types, so be sure to choose a scrub best suited to you on our Face Scrub page. Need help determining your own skin type? Take our one-minute skin care quiz to reveal your complexion composition.
4. Use A Sun Protection Factor (SPF) Moisturiser or Moisturiser and Sunscreen Daily
Australia is blessed to be a sun-drenched country where outdoor recreation is so seamlessly interwoven into our daily lives. Unfortunately, we also endure the second highest ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels on the planet and our per capita incidence rates of Melanoma are unparalleled. UV exposure prematurely ages the skin and heightens the risk of developing skin cancer, even on windy, cloudy or cool days when you may not necessarily “feel” the sun on your skin. For these reasons, it is crucial to use SPF products daily on any skin that will be exposed to the sun. And thankfully, we stock a range of SPF moisturisers, as well as a range of sunscreens (many oil-free) which can be applied to the skin after moisturising.
5. Move, Eat, Sleep
Regular exercise stimulates and rejuvenates the skin in a number of ways. It initiates increased blood circulation throughout the body, delivering a greater volume of oxygen and nutrients to the skin and hastening the removal of toxins. Exercise also stimulates collagen production – that’s right, the same substance for which many pay thousands to have injected into their face to look younger. Turns out that post-workout glow is more than just a translucent layer of sweat. Healthy nutrition also works wonders for your complexion – you really are what you eat. A number of dermatologists and dieticians recommend low-glycaemic index diets and unprocessed foods to inhibit acne and skin breakouts. And much as sleep is essential to rest and rejuvenate your mind, so too is it required to repair and replenish your skin, so be sure to get your seven plus hours each night. After all, when does “you look like you’ve hardly slept” ever not mean “you look like shit”
6. Additional Tools
The aforementioned tips will improve any man’s complexion and assist in getting better skin. Further skin care products can also offer specific benefits and treat common skin problems:
- Toners offer extra cleansing power and exfoliation
- Face Masks extract debris from the skin while hydrating and repairing it
- Concealers hide dark circles, unexpected spots, bumps, and nicks
- Eye Creams reduce the appearance of tired-looking eyes and reverse the signs of visible aging
- Lip Balms protect and restore; and keep dry, chapped and cracked lips at bay
- Serums intensely and deeply hydrate the skin, and are designed to be used before applying moisturiser
- Anti-Aging Treatments, along with sun protection, assist to reverse the visible signs of aging
- Acne Treatments decongest the pores of oil build up and help regulate the excessive production of sebum