All skin is not created equally....MEN VS WOMEN

Men and Women Skin Are Not Created Equal

Men’s skin is different from female.  The biggest difference between male and female skin is due to male sex hormones known as androgens.  The main androgen is testosterone.  Although females also produce testosterone, males produce 10X more than females.  Beginning with middle age, testosterone levels steadily decline every year.

Male skin is oilier due to more sebaceous oil glands and more sebum production.  The big upsurge in testosterone during puberty causes an increase in oil secretion and sebum production.  Men using anabolic steroids, a testosterone-like substance, can develop “steroid acne.”  Sebum is produced by the sebaceous gland.  This provides a perfect breeding ground for the bacteria Proprionibacterium acnes.  The presence of this bacteria and excess pore-clogging sebum contributes to acne.  Sebum in the sebaceous glands also causes more inflammation in males.  Acne in young males is more severe than females.  By young adulthood, most men normalize their oil production.  However the damage from the inflammation can cause acne scarring.  At Southside Dermatology we have specific products to improve oily skin and acne.  At Southside Dermatology we understand that the type, nature and severity of acne/acne scars are different between individuals.  This is why we offer different modalities to treat acne  and acne scarring including medical treatments and procedures, minor surgical procedures, chemical peels, microdermabrasion and lasers. 

Men’s skin is thicker due to a denser and firmer elastin and collagen network.  This is why males tend to age at a later stage than females.  Denser, thicker facial hair growth on men also protects them from the damages of the sun.  The damaging UV rays are not able to penetrate as much to the skin dermis to cause collagen degradation.  Fair-skinned men with finer hair will display photo-damage more easily than darker haired men.  Because men tend to age at a later age they do not tend to think about protecting their skin at an earlier age.  They do not think about sunscreens use.  This may be why American men have a greater incidence of skin cancers than women.  Men also have a higher death rate due to melanoma, the deadliest of the skin cancers.  Men should be encouraged to use sunscreen at a younger age not to just prevent aging but to prevent skin cancers.

Men can have sensitive skin.  The top layers of the skin contain a mixture of ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids to impede water loss.  Testosterone can have negative effects on epidermal barrier function.    Increase in epidermal water loss can lead to dry, flaky skin.  Older men are also not able to heal their skin wounds as quickly as women.  This is why it is important for men’s skin care to be formulated to effectively protect the epidermal barrier and to replace moisture.

Men tend to have darker, coarser facial and body hair.  Facial hair is thicker than scalp hair and have a flatter shaped follicle, making it curlier.  The curlier hair can reenter the skin, causing inflammation, razor burns, and ingrown hairs.   Darker ethnic men may also experience bumps due to these ingrown hairs.  This condition is called PseudofolliculitisBarbae (PFB).  The skin sees the ingrown hairs as a foreign body and will initiate a foreign body response causing redness, itching, irritation and keloids.  Ingrown hairs can be the result of shaving against the direction of growth or shaving too close.

Men’s lifestyles also effect their skin.  Men tend to spend more time in the sun, get less sleep, and experience more stress.  Men also tend to more likely have a history of smoking.  These extrinsic aging factors can greatly accelerate skin aging with deeper facial lines and creases.  During the middle aged years they start experiencing a decline in their testosterone levels.  They lose more collagen at a rapid rate after the age of 30 then women.

How can you slow down this aging process? 

• ·       Protect your skin from the sun.
• ·       Do not smoke.
• ·       Avoid stress.
• ·       Eat a healthy diet.
• ·       Make sure you drink a sufficient amount of water daily.
• ·       Use a good moisturizer every day.
• ·       Get a good night’s rest.

At Southside Dermatology we offer products and procedures specifically targeted towards creating natural and healthy skin for men.  Our products have the necessary ingredients to help moisturize, exfoliate and protect your skin.  Our procedures produce natural looking results with minimal down time. 

Procedures that we offer for men:

• ·       Chemical Peels
• ·       Microdermabrasion
• ·       Photodynamic Therapy
• ·       Photofacial (Photorejuvenation)
• ·       Botox (“Brotox”)
• ·       Fillers (skin rejuvenation, wrinkle treatment, face contouring; natural looking)
• ·       Laser hair removal (can be used to treat PFB)
• ·       Lasers for blood vessels and brown spots
• ·       Treatment for acne scarring (different modalities)
• ·       Pelleve (non-invasive procedure for eye wrinkles)
• ·       Thermage
• ·       Ultherapy (skin lifting and tightening…. sagging jowl, sagging foreheads and brows, jawline definition, neck tightening)

Please call 904-880-0622 for a free consultation with one of our skin care experts.