Blackheads, spots and open pores can blight even the cleanest, best cared for skin. But now help is at hand when breakouts occur, says David Waters.
Men's skin is generally thicker than women's, making it much less prone to wrinkles. But there is a downside - it's much greasier and this means we're more prone to breakouts.
For many men, the particular problem area is our 'T-zone'. Made up of the forehead, nose and chin, it's the part of the face that becomes most shiny towards the end of each day due to excess oil on the surface of our skin. And while this oil keeps our skin supple, when combined with dirt and pollution it can lead to blackheads and spots.
Typically we first notice spots in our teens. Higher levels of testosterone increase the amount of sebum our skin produces - especially on our faces - blocking our pores and causing blackheads, or worse still leading to full-blown acne. Thankfully as we mature, our testosterone levels tend to even out along with our problem skin.
Yet for many of us this blight on our adolescence doesn't end, because we continue to get breakouts as adults too. The greater number and larger size of our facial hair follicles, the irritation caused by regular shaving, as well as our greasier skin make spots more common than many of us like to admit. And annoyingly, they always have the knack of appearing just before that all-important interview or big night out...
Now help is at hand. As soon as a spot begins to rear its ugly head, I just zap it with Liz Earle's Spot-On, which combines antibacterial tea tree oil with lavender and natural source vitamin E. These three together are like a protective armed guard - seeing off bacteria and grime before they have a chance to get under your skin causing mischief. Small enough to carry around, this pocket-sized weapon is all I need to attack spots.
David Waters
David is the Associate Style Editor of Men's Health magazine and writes for Sunday Times Style, The Guardian and all the other major men's magazines.
But how do we prevent them in the first place? Daily cleansing, particularly at night, quickly removes the day's build-up of dirt and grime, which can linger on skin and cause breakouts. Careful wet shaving (in the direction of the hair growth) and applying a lightweight moisturiser afterwards can help to minimise irritation and spot-causing ingrown hairs. And a weekly rub with Liz Earle For Men Face Scrub will also help to slough away skin-clogging dead skin cells and leave skin scrupulously clean.
With all these ways to zap spots, having oil-prone skin isn't nearly such a headache after all. For more skincare advice, check out our fact sheets.
Spot-On, which combines antibacterial tea tree oil with lavender and natural source vitamin E. These three together are like a protective armed guard - seeing off bacteria and grime before they have a chance to get under your skin causing mischief. Small enough to carry around, this pocket-sized weapon is all I need to attack spots.
But how do we prevent them in the first place? Daily cleansing, particularly at night, quickly removes the day's build-up of dirt and grime, which can linger on skin and cause breakouts. Careful wet shaving (in the direction of the hair growth) and applying a lightweight moisturiser afterwards can help to minimise irritation and spot-causing ingrown hairs. And a weekly rub with Liz Earle For Men Face Scrub will also help to slough away skin-clogging dead skin cells and leave skin scrupulously clean.
Finally, no matter how good our skincare regime is, lack of sleep, not drinking enough water, and stress can all lead to spots. Stress has the unfortunate side effect of increasing the amounts of spot-inducing testosterone your body releases, so anything you can do to lower stress, like regular exercise, can help too.
David Waters