Men have been notorious of being careless with their skin. Their skin care regimens seldom go beyond soap and water.

However, lately there has been increased awareness among men about the needs and requirements of their skin and this has fuelled a market segment consisting of special skin care products for men. There is such an extensive range of men’s skin care products available in the market that it gets difficult sometimes to make a sane choice.

While some prefer to try out a variety of skin care products to see what works for them, others stick to one particular product and hope it does the trick. Choosing skin care products that work well for your particular skin can be a daunting task. This is because there is plethora of options available, all of them claiming to be the best and promising to do wonders to the skin. In midst of all these, how do you know what the best skin care product is for you.

Here are 5 points you should consider while buying skin care products for men.

Know Your Skin Type
Before you go about finding skin care products, you should know what exactly your skin needs. And this can only be assessed by knowing your skin type. Is it normal, dry, oily, combination or sensitive? Skin care products are designed to address the specific requirements of the various types of skin. For example, dry skin needs more moisture, oily skin needs controlled exfoliation, acne prone skin needs bacteria fighting ingredients that heal acne and so on. Determining your skin type will let you know what skin care products best suit you.

Get a Men’s Cleanser
Cleansers are a very important part of the skin care regimen. And since men’s skin is intrinsically different from women’s they need special cleansers designed for their specific gender. Men generally have bigger skin pores than women and accumulate comparatively more dirt and debris. Thus they need a tougher cleanser that can flush out the toxins and clean the skin well.

Include a Toner & Moisturizer in your Regimen
Most people fail to realize the importance of toners in the skin care regimen and prefer not to use it at all. Men’s skin succumbeds to harsh treatments like shaving and this disrupts the pH balance of the skin. Toners not only help balance the pH levels of the skin but also ensure that the skin pores are absolutely clean and no residue of cleanser is left behind.
Additionally, when the skin is stripped ofnatural moistures due to shaving and cleansing, using a moisturizer hydrates the skin and restores the lost moisture. However, if you have oily or acneic skin, use a lightweight oil-free moisturizer. Moisturizers relieve skin dryness and prevent premature aging of the skin and keep wrinkles and fine lines at bay.

Buy Skin Treatment Products
If you have severe skin conditions like acne, anti-aging concerns or so on, make sure you buy specialized skin treatment products rather than general skin care products. This is because treatment products address specific skin concerns, go to the root level of the problem and cure the same.

Obagi Clenziderm M.D. Acne Therapeutic System for Normal to Oily Skin – It is a three step system that identifies and treats the primary causes of acne and help promote a clear skin. The system includes:

Obagi Daily Care Foaming Cleanser (4 fl. oz) – To clean off all the dirt and debris from the skin and reveal brighter skin from within

Obagi Pore Therapy (4 fl oz) – To clean the skin pores of dirt and oil residues

Obagi Serum Gel (1.8 fl oz) – To deep cleanse and treat acne with benzoyl peroxide

Obagi Clenziderm M.D. Acne Therapeutic System for Normal to Dry Skin is the same thing as above but it treats acne concerns on normal and dry skin types. The system includes:

Obagi Daily Care Cream Cleanser (6.5 fl oz) – To remove the excessive oil residues and dirt

Obagi Therapeutic Lotion (1.6 fl. oz.) – To remove acne and prevent further breakouts and inflammations

Obagi Therapeutic Moisturizer (1.7 fl oz) – To moisturize and hydrate your skin

Buy Suitable Shaving Products
Make sure the shaving products that you buy suit your epidermis type and care for your specific skin condition. Shaving products generally are comprised of three major components – Pre-Shave, Shaving Creams and Aftershave. All these products have moisturizing and conditioning agents that hydrate the skin and enhance its quality.

Author's Bio: 

Dr. Marilynn Syrett is a graduate from Western University of Health Sciences. She has authored several articles about antiaging skin care products including many from Obagi and iS Clinical range of skin care products and men's skin care products.