How to Care for Your Skin before It’s Too Late

Have you ever wondered why old men are generally less wrinkled than old women? Don’t believe me? Look around. My mother’s skin is deeply lined with sagging wrinkles, while my father has a few ‘laugh lines’ and some wrinkles across his forehead. About ten years ago I noticed this and started to wonder why.

I’m sure there are hormonal differences, and probably whiskers help keep cheek skin from sagging too badly. But aside from that, think about how men treat their skin for 50 or 60 years vs. how women treat theirs.

Men don’t baby their skin. They don’t put make up on it, they don’t use moisturizers. Many don’t bother with sunscreens (although they should!). What do men do? They shave. Goodness, who’d have thought that scraping a razor against your skin every day for 50 years would be better than sleeping in cold cream? I’m not suggesting women start shaving, but here are some common sense ideas for preserving your skin.

1. UPWARD STROKES – I was told once when I received a facial that it is imperative that you only use upward strokes on your facial skin. Why? Because every time you use a downward stroke you are training your skin to go in that direction. Think of it: 40 or 50 years of using downward strokes 365 days a year. No wonder your skin takes the hint eventually. This goes for washing and for putting on makeup or creams. If you use a circular motion, be very light when moving downward and firm on the up-stroke.

2. PAT DRY – Again, no downward strokes, but don’t stroke at all if you can help it. Be gentle. Pat and let the towel do the work. This is especially important around the eyes. Never stroke the skin around the eyes, apply makeup and creams with a patting motion.

3. DON’T TOUCH – Avoid touching your skin during the day. Think of your fingers as being laden with dirt and grease, because that’s how your skin sees it. Every time you put your finger on your skin you are courting a pimple. It’s also not attractive if you think about it… do you like to see people touching their faces?

4. AIR may be better than MOISTURE – What do men put on their skin? Shaving cream, soap, maybe after-shave or some other astringent. They shamelessly dry out their skin, and what do they have to show for it? Better skin than older women. Foundation makeup, beauty creams, moisturizers may not be as good for our skin as we’re led to believe. Could it be that these weigh down the skin, leading to loss of elasticity faster than just wearing your face out there in the air? Think of skin that’s been in water for a long time, it’s pruney – WRINKLED!

5. NEUTRAL EXPRESSION – Think of your face as a computer screen and a neutral expression as the screen saver. Relax your facial muscles to avoid creasing the skin. Don’t get me wrong, you should SMILE whenever you want to. Forget wrinkles, a SMILE is the most beautiful thing you can put on your face. But don’t frown! Get that downward expression off your face as soon as you can. Don’t scrunch your face when you’re concentrating, just concentrate with a relaxed expression.

Careful and natural care of your skin may not keep you from developing wrinkles, but don’t believe everything you learn from companies that are trying to sell skin care products. Take a look at the older members of your family and their daily practices to see just where your skin will be at that age.