Ever been called “thick?” If you’re a guy with a stubborn streak, this was probably an insult. Hopefully, you handled it diplomatically, but when it comes to your skin and how you take care of it, this particular insult has factual roots.
Men’s skin is thicker, and that’s just one of several important biologically-based gender differences. They all matter when it comes to your skincare routine, too, so we enlisted the help of Dr. Jarett Casale, a board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgery fellow, to give us some help on how to use these differences to get the best results.
It’s all about your collagen
Thickness is important when it comes to your skincare routine, and the issues run more than skin deep. The key, according to Dr. Casale, is the density of your collagen.
“Men’s skin is around twenty to twenty-five percent thicker than women’s due to higher levels of testosterone,” Casale begins. “This increased thickness is largely due to greater density of Type 1 collagen that helps to give structural integrity to the skin.”
Structural integrity is important to men throughout their lives. According to Casale, studies have shown that collagen content in men remains higher throughout life,with a gradual decline related to a combination of age and sun exposure.
He adds that maximizing collagen thickness depends on the products you use, your skin type, and the body location where you’re trying to increase it.
“As far as topical products go, retinoids are one of the most potent topical ingredients for increasing collagen production,” Casale explains. “[They stimulate] cells in the skin called fibroblasts that produce collagen.”
The science behind men’s skincare
There’s more science involved in this, too. Vitamin C in the form of L-ascorbic acid can help with skincare, and Casale says it serves as a vital co-factor for an enzyme that is required for the skin to link bundles of collagen.
Other topicals can also be helpful. These include alpha-hydroxy acids like glycolic acid, and Casale also notes the potential of estriol-containing creams, peptides, niacin amide, and Centella Asiatica. Oh, and sunscreen can help a lot, too.
“Sunscreen is one of the most important tools men have, if not the most important,” Casale says. “Ultraviolet light is the most potent degrader of skin collagen, especially if we’re talking about chronic exposure.”
There are other ways to increase collagen production, but they come with caveats. Casale cites other potent interventions for inducing collagen production, and these include fractionated ablative lasers like CO2 laser treatment and micro-needling. Both of these procedures cause controlled damage to the skin, but they also result in an increased production of collagen.
Aging causes faster collagen loss in men, too
When it comes to aging, science once again enters the picture when it comes to the biologically based gender differences between men and women.
Generally speaking, women have consistent skin thickness and collagen content until their fifth decade of life or their post-menopausal years. After that, they experience a sharp decline in collagen production — up to 30 percent loss in the first five years after menopause.
Men, meanwhile, experience a gradual but continuous decrease over time. The good news here is that their rate of degradation is more linear, averaging around 1 percent per year after their late 20s. The ultimate conclusion, Casale says, is that the overall rate of collagen loss is the same in men and women, although total skin collagen content is less in women than men at all ages.
The ingredients mentioned earlier are the most effective choices for men who want to add to their skincare routine to deal with this, but Dr. Casale has some additional recommendations.
“The most potent retinoid is prescription tretinoin or tazarotene,” he said. “[With] over-the-counter options to help with aging, I recommend REMEDY for Healthy Aging and Avene RetrinAL cream.“
Excess sebum and oily skin
This problem is obviously familiar to male adolescents, but it isn’t just a teenage problem. Men generally have higher sebum production due to androgens like testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which stimulate oil gland activity in hair follicles.
Studies show that male oil glands are more active, and men produce approximately 50 percent more sebum than women. This leads to oilier skin and a higher propensity for acne, particularly in areas rich in oil glands like the face, chest, and back.
“There are various options for treating oily skin in men,” he says. “Retinoids and niacin amide can help regulate oil gland activity. Green tea extract is another compound that helps to prevent the conversion of testosterone to DHT in the skin, [which helps] to lessen skin oil production.
“Salicylic acid is a fat-loving acid that dissolves oils, which can be helpful to unclog pores. Bentonite and kaolin are compounds that can be used to absorb excess oil but have no effect on skin oil production.”
The pores in men’s skin are larger
Size matters in a variety of gender-based differences, and pore size is one of them. For men, this is both a production issue and a structural problem that can be traced back to higher sebum production and thicker skin structure.
“Sebum and dead skin cells accumulate in these larger pores more easily, which contributes to greater visibility of pores and an increased risk of acne,” Dr. Casale states. “Additionally, aging and UV exposure cause a loss of skin elasticity, which can further enlarge the appearance of pores over time.”
Once again, though, there are products that can help. Some of the ingredients that can control oil and clean pores will sound familiar at this point — they include retinoids, salicylic acid, green tea extract, perlite, and niacin amide, all of which can minimize the larger appearance of pores.
“One of my favorites to recommend to patients includes REMEDY for Pore Size,” Casale says, “which contains all of these ingredients.”
Shaving presents a number of men’s skincare issues
If you’re one of those guys who has a problematic relationship with shaving, you probably won’t be surprised to see shaving-related issues turn up as a men’s skincare problem.
For starters, we have a higher density of hair follicles — think 5,000-25,000 hair follicles in the beard area alone. Frequent shaving acts as a form of mild mechanical exfoliation, which can increase both blood circulation and skin sensitivity.
“This repeated irritation can also lead to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), ingrown hairs, and razor burn,” Dr. Casale says. “Using razors with single blades, electric razors, and shaving in the direction of hair growth can all help to prevent ingrown hairs.”
There are other choices to help solve the problem, too. Topicals like salicylic acid can prevent ingrown hairs after shaving, and Casale does have a specific recommendation in this area.
“One of my favorite products is La Roche-Posay’s Effaclar Salicylic Acid serum, Casale says when asked to recommend a specific product.
Environmental damage
Finally, there’s the environment. It’s not always our friend, of course, although our higher sebum production does give men some level of protection against environmental aggressors.
But some men aren’t necessarily smart in doing more to protect their skin from the environment. As a demographic group, we’re less likely to use skincare products or sunscreen, which makes us more vulnerable to UV-induced collagen degradation, hyperpigmentation, and premature aging.
“UV radiation is the primary factor in collagen breakdown and skin aging, leading to wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity, and increased skin cancer risk,” Casale summarizes. “Additionally, pollution and oxidative stress can exacerbate inflammation and barrier dysfunction in the skin.”
So what’s the answer? Start with sunscreen and vitamin C, the latter of which can neutralize oxidative damage to the skin that can occur from air pollution.
Once again, he has specific product preferences in this area. “My favorite sunscreens include Elta MD UV Skin Recovery, which is a mineral sunscreen that blends into the skin very nicely,” he says. “I also like La Roche-Posay Anthelios UV Clear.”
Regardless of which products you choose, the primary lesson for men is obvious. Don’t be thick when it comes to adding to your men’s skincare routine, and your skin will thank you over the course of your lifespan by giving you the protection you need.
