The Easiest and Most Effective Skin Routine for Men, According to Experts
You’re looking old. I was 32 when Dr. Carrie Doolan, my dermatologist, broke this news to me. I was seeing her for my annual skin cancer check. She had been scanning my arms and legs for suspicious moles, occasionally bringing a loupe to her eye for a closer look. Then, she moved on to my scalp—using a Q-tip to brush aside my hair. It was when she got to my face and seemed to focus on the faint bags under my eyes that she told me I looked old.
OK, she didn’t say those exact words. What she actually said was, “I can see you’ve been getting some sun.” But I heard: You're looking old. My once smooth and vibrant skin was finally starting to age.
For some reason, during that appointment, I didn’t think to ask what I was doing wrong. After all, I had been doing what I've always done, whenever I remembered to do it at all: using a face scrub that contains crushed up walnuts any time I remembered. Something about using a product that felt like sandpaper appealed to my masculinity. I figured if it didn’t scrape off dirt, nothing would. As for moisturizer? Nah. Sunscreen? Only if I was going to the beach.
In contrast, my partner Laura had about 17 bottles of face stuff lining the shelves of our bathroom. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. What were these mysterious concoctions? And what did she know about taking care of her skin that I didn't? My next thought: Maybe I should steal some of her stuff.
Instead, I decided to gather a panel of skincare experts to answer my questions. Dr. Doolan was the first on my list, but I also figured I should reach out to an impartial expert. So, I called Dr. Tayo Ogunleye, an assistant professor of clinical dermatology at Penn Medicine. Then, for good measure, I contacted Kristan Serafino, an expert in men’s grooming who works with celebs like Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal. Here’s what they taught me.
Keeping Things Simple
You really only need to do three things to keep your skin in good shape, Dr. Ogunleye told me—cleanse, moisturize, and protect from the sun. To make it even simpler, you can cut your routine down to two products by picking a moisturizer with SPF. Dr. Ogunleye recommended an SPF 30 for everyday use and suggested something a bit stronger if you’re spending the day at the beach.
You really only need to do three things to keep your skin in good shape, Dr. Ogunleye told me—cleanse, moisturize, and protect from the sun.
Dr. Ogunleye also mentioned that because more men are taking an interest in their skincare, more and more beloved brands are coming out with products geared toward men. Kiehl's makes a moisturizer with SPF specifically for men.
But what about all of Laura’s tubs and bottles? Dr. Ogunleye insisted they’re unnecessary. When I told her my skin has aged like the newspaper at the bottom of a birdcage, she laughed and said that an anti-aging product could be added to the routine. She went on to explain that the key ingredient should be a retinoid, which is typically derived from vitamin A. Retinoids are typically prescribed to treat skin conditions like acne. They cause new skin cells to form more rapidly and produce collagen, which is why they’re also great for treating wrinkles. Retinol, which is a weaker retinoid, is easier to find over the counter. However, there is one OTC retinoid called Differin that has great reviews.
Then, Dr. Ogunleye stressed that the anti-aging stuff is more about vanity than it is about health. Skincare should be simple, especially for men who are less likely to devote lots of time and money to a lengthy routine. OK, I thought. But what if I am vain?
Getting More Advanced
Since Dr. Doolan had been seeing me for years, I was confident she’d give me answers that took my vanity into consideration. Once again, I brought up all of Laura’s potions and products and asked, “What’s the stuff guys don’t think about, that they should?”
“Oh,” Dr. Doolan replied. “Almost everything.”
She agreed with Dr. Ogunleye. Guys should start off with a simple routine. Her reasoning: If you don’t think about skincare at all, jumping into a complicated, multifaceted regimen is sure to end in failure. Dr. Doolan agreed with the same basic steps—cleanse, moisturize, and protect. But she added even more detail. Like, a lot of details.
First up, she set me straight about my exfoliating face wash. When I told her what I was using, she took a deep breath and said it was her least favorite face wash. She explained that physical exfoliants (like the crushed up walnuts that I was using) can scrape and damage skin. Instead, she said you should use a chemical exfoliant, which use safe-for-your-skin acids to slough away dead cells. Dr. Doolan says CeraVe makes great options that are available at almost any drugstore.
Physical exfoliants, like the crushed up walnuts that I was using, can scrape and damage skin.
She also warned me that the sun destroys retinoids. So, you want to apply your anti-aging product at night. One other tip Dr. Doolan dished out? She said as long as you’re doing an anti-aging product, you may as well look for one with an antioxidant like vitamin C, which can brighten your complexion.
If you’re confident you’ve got the simple routine down and want something a bit more advanced, Dr. Doolan suggested this more in-depth process: In the morning, you should give your face a quick rinse to wash away the sleep. Then, you can apply an antioxidant (as long as it’s separate from your retinoid) followed by a moisturizer and SPF. If you’re ever confused which order to apply in, Dr. Doolan says the rule of thumb is that you should go from thinner formulas to thicker. At the end of the day, you want to wash your face with a cleanser, apply a retinoid, and then moisturize.
This slightly more detailed process appealed to my vanity, but it also made me wonder—what if I wanted to go all in?
Stepping Things Up Even More
“For my clientele, their face and hairstyle is their brand.” That’s what Serafino, grooming expert to the stars, told me. But even they have to start slow.
“If you start with serums, eye creams, patches, buffs, and washing—it becomes overwhelming fast,” she explained. “So, I tell people to start with three things—a face wash, toner, and moisturizer.”
Wait. What the hell is a toner?!
“The way I explain toner, to men especially, is: If you’ve ever painted a wall, if you don’t prime it first, paint doesn’t go on evenly. You use a primer so that the paint adheres more evenly,” Serafino explained. “That’s what a toner does for your skin.” When it comes to luxury skincare, Serafino says that Sisley is one of her go-to brands. (Editor's Note: If you want a drugstore toner, we recommend Thayer's.)
I knew I was in deep if Serafino needed to use painting analogies to help me understand.
Throughout our conversation, Serafino very much deferred to the advice of the two dermatologists I had spoken with. But I pressed her, and asked what else I could add if I was ready. “Most men tend to show signs of aging in the eye area first,” she said. “So, the next step would be an eye cream.” Ah, the eyes—the exact spot Dr. Doolan had noticed signs of aging on me. I felt like I had come full circle.
Borrowing From Your Partner
Just as I was beginning to think I had learned all that I could, something dawned on me. I had never once asked Laura, my partner, what her skincare routine entailed. So I did.
She told me she washes her face morning and night. Sometimes, if she’s feeling lazy, she said she’ll just use a makeup-removing wipe. In the morning, she uses a moisturizer with SPF 15. And when she’s breaking out, she’ll use a retinoid at night. That’s it.
I was shocked. Her routine was so much simpler than I had assumed. The next time I was in the bathroom, I looked at all her products and realized most of them were empty bottles she had simply forgotten to toss out.
It turned out that Laura didn’t know that much more about skin care than I did. Her routine was simple. But she still had a leg up on me: The difference between us was consistency. Laura stuck to her routine no matter what, and that’s something I could learn from.
Serafino had touched on this exact thing in my conversation with her. “Most men are reactive,” she said. “Women are proactive. We’ll do things pre-wrinkles, pre-aging. Men will get a wrinkle and decide, oh, I need to use a wrinkle cream. That’s why, if you’ve ever noticed—women in their seventies, they stop aging. They just look amazing. Whereas men get old really fast, because they haven’t been preventative.”
There was no denying how right she was. I hadn’t given a second thought to my skin until that dermatologist appointment.
As for my beloved walnut scrub? I’ve retired it—which makes Laura very happy. When I had told her I had spoken with Dr. Doolan about my routine, she innocently asked if that scrub had come up in conversation. “My dermatologist seethed when I said I used it,” I told her.
“Women despise it,” she said. “We’ve been trained to believe it’s evil.” I could tell she was enjoying what an idiot I had been—thinking that sandpapering my face had been a good idea.
“Will you ever use it again?” Laura asked.
“Nope.”
The bottle was almost empty anyhow. And besides, I realized I could just start stealing Laura’s stuff.
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