Men's skin care once meant slapping on some aftershave.
What are the best anti wrinkle products for men? The man who dared ask that question out loud would have been laughed at, not long ago.
Men somehow convinced themselves that wrinkles and creases in their faces were macho, all part of being a man's man.
Most men have grown up a bit.
They know they can use some help with anti wrinkle products, especially since many men have neglected their skin.
A man still wants to look youthful, healthy and energetic -- and face it, guys: wrinkles and age spots don't send that message.
Wrinkles are not manly.
Given that men's skin care is important, you naturally want to find the best anti wrinkle products for men.
Here are a few facts about men's skin care and the ingredients that really help.
First, men's skin is particularly prone to inflammation and redness.
Some of that inflammation may be due to the subtle genetic differences between men and women.
Most of it is probably due to different behavior: most men shave every day, and they tend to be careless about sunburn, windburn, and letting their skin dry out.
Even when redness isn't obvious, signs of aging often are -- like dark spots and bags under the eyes, facial wrinkles and color variations in the skin.
These are signs of hidden inflammation.
It is not easy to get this under control, but it's possible.
One thing a good men's skin care product has to do is halt inflammation.
To get technical just for a minute: it must reduce production of Prostaglandin E2 in the body: this is the big biochemical pathway leading to inflammation in the skin.
So look for a men's skin care product that promises to block PGE2 production -- and tells you exactly what ingredients will do the job.
One word of advice on allowing yourself to get sunburned: Don't! Sunburn, especially severe sunburn, is serious inflammation.
(Why do you think your skin turns red?) Besides the pain and the skin damage, severe sunburn is linked to melanoma -- a rare type of skin cancer, but still by far the biggest cause of skin cancer deaths.
For you guys who ignore this advice and get sunburned anyway, here are some ingredients that help with inflammation due to sunburn: -- D-Panthenol (vitamin B5) helps repair skin tissue and acts as a natural moisturizer.
It also protects the skin naturally against sunburn, provides relief for existing sunburn, and enhances the natural tanning process.
The other B vitamins contribute to skin tissue health as well.
-- An extract of Japanese sea kelp called Phytessence Wakame contains high levels of D-Panthenol and other B vitamins.
It rebuilds hyaluronic acid, the loss of which is one of the biggest causes of skin wrinkles, and researchers recently discovered that sulfated polyfucose, yet another active ingredient in wakame, protects the skin against damage caused by the sun's UV rays.
-- Green tea extract, with its anti-inflammatory polyphenols, and both Vitamin A and natural Vitamin E, are powrful antioxidants that help repair damaged skin and seem to reduce susceptibility to sunburn.
-- Witch hazel, a long-famous natural skin care ingredient, is helpful with sunburn, reducing inflammation and redness.
Witch hazel is a natural antioxidant and astringent.
Witch hazel is also a good traditional first aid for shaving cuts and abrasions for men.
For more specific product advice on men's skin care, check out my website.