5 Differences Between Women & Men’s Skincare

While on the surface they may look similar, the skin of men and women are both very different in certain regards. Those differences are important to understand since they directly impact how we take care of our skin and what we incorporate into our skincare routine.

Today we’re going to go over the five key differences between women and men’s skincare that you should take into consideration when putting together your skincare regimen. Here’s what you need to know…

1. Men Have Thicker Skin

The first thing to note is that men have thicker skin than women—in the literal sense of the phrase. A man’s skin is actually about 20% thicker than a woman’s skin due to a presence of androgens. Not only that, but their skin also contains more collagen, which gives a firmer appearance overall. As we know, when our collagen decreases, we start to see signs of aging such as sagging skin because it loses its elasticity.

For men, their collagen content reduces at a more consistent rate throughout their lifetime. However, a woman’s collagen will remain constant and then decrease later in life, which results in a more dramatic loss that can cause more pronounced effects. In fact, it’s after menopause that a woman’s skin can become noticeably thinner. This is why women see more pronounced signs of aging sooner than many men will show it.

If you want to prevent premature aging, it’s crucial to incorporate specially formulated anti-aging skincare products into your routine so you can help restore and renew your skin’s collagen.

2. Oil Production

Besides having thicker skin, men have more pores than women. Not only that, but their pores are larger and they produce more oil. Too much oil production can lead to a shiny appearance on the face and also cause skin problems like clogged pores, blackheads, and acne. Unfortunately, problem skin can be a struggle for men as their oil production doesn’t decrease with age like a woman’s does, leading to longer lasting acne.

3. Texture of Skin

One more noticeable difference between women and men’s skincare is the texture of the skin. A man’s skin can look and feel tougher and rougher because they have a thicker stratum corneum, the top layer of our epidermis. This thickness is also the reason men will experience deep facial wrinkles that appear over the years. This is due to the loss of subcutaneous fat. For men, there’s no shame in looking into anti-aging skincare if you’re worried about wrinkles later on in life.

4. Men Shave Regularly, Which Leads to Stressed Skin

While women do get facial hair, it doesn’t grow like a man’s does. For men, their facial hair is more coarse and needs to be shaved often if they want a fresh-faced look. On average, a man will shave his face about 16,000 times in his life. That’s a giant number, especially when you consider the fact that shaving actually stresses the skin.

When you shave, the razor removes the outermost layer of skin cells. This then exposes immature skin to the environment. Doing this can increase your sensitivity and can cause irritation, especially for men who shave daily. This, unfortunately, can leave men to deal with some pesky shaving-related problems.

The key (for both men and women) is to treat the skin during and after shaving. Pay attention to the products you’re using when shaving. You want to apply a cream-based product, like Men Barber Shave, that’s going to soften the skin and allow you to get the closest shave possible without irritation. Then, you can apply a product afterwards to provide some soothing relief if needed. Men will love our Men Lotion YK, which is an aftershave designed to soothe razor burn and provide a fresh feeling without a trace of greasiness.

5. Skin Hydration

Luckily for men, they’re less likely to experience dry skin than women. During puberty, males will begin to experience an increase in sweat secretions. And since they have more lactic acid in their sweat than women, they have a lower pH. Since men also sweat more frequently, their skin appears to be more hydrated overall. Because of this, it’s helpful to use a lightweight moisturizer daily that’s not too heavy.