Showing Skin And Saving Face

In a column about life on Fire Island a few years ago, a writer for TimeOut New York complained about the abundance of gay men with pumped-up, seemingly 20-year-old bodies traipsing about with 50-year-old faces.

Yes, gay men are looking younger and younger every year -- from the neck down. But do we really want to have the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Pumping Iron" attached to the head of Winston Churchill?

According to David Leffell, author of "Total Skin: The Definitive Guide to Whole Skin Care for Life," "Our skin is the resilient living fabric that envelops our entire self. It is much, much more than plastic wrap that holds in our bones, organs and blood like so many boxes on a pallet." Curiously mixed metaphors aside, he's right: Your skin is alive, and it wants to be treated with care.

To save face, you have to be ready to commit to a few steps:

Cleanse every morning and night. Wash your face gently with warm water and a cleanser. This step gets rid of dirt stuck inside your pores. If you have dry skin, try using a cream or lotion (often called "milk") cleanser and minimizing the amount of water you wash your face with -- it can actually dry you out.

Tone every morning and night with a cotton ball or pad and toner. This step balances skin's pH levels, tightens pores and softens the appearance of wrinkles. Pick a toner designed for your skin type -- sensitive or dry skin needs an especially gentle formula.

Moisturize twice a day. This step softens your skin temporarily and helps prevent future wrinkles. To double the crease-busting effects, choose a day moisturizer with sunscreen and a night moisturizer with gentle alpha hydroxy acids (which should only be used at night, since it can make the skin more sensitive to sunlight).

Learn how to shave. Yes, there's more to shaving than avoiding open wounds. Poor technique leads to razor burn, while shaving correctly is a good way to slough off dead skin cells. Get the razor out only after you have taken a warm shower, so your bristles have had a chance to soften. Use only a sharp blade (sharp blade, smooth cheeks) and shave in the direction your beard grows -- it's less painful and results in fewer nicks. Applying your shaving cream in a circular motion has been said to aid the whiskers in standing up; shaving brushes made of badger hair purportedly do the same. Shave after cleansing and toning, but before moisturizing.

Exfoliate once a week. New skin cells look (and are) younger. Along with your newfound shaving technique, use a weekly exfoliant that goes with your skin type to get rid of old, dull cells. Some skin brightens better with a scrub, while others respond to smoothing "peels" containing glycolic acid or vitamin C. Ask for samples and try them out a little at a time to see what works for you.

Try the new regimen for three months and see the results. Just imagine -- if Cher had followed this regimen, she would have saved hundreds of thousands in plastic surgery bills (though she'd have been hard-pressed to explain the full-face shave every morning).

Written by Brandon Judell

Photos: Getty Images

Comments

[Arthur Graves]

How much more of a sissy can you be on here.It like every picture on her is pumped up muscle boys. Where are the REAL GAY MEN!