If a youthful appearance was really sold in a bottle, do you suppose women would be the only ones flocking to the shelves to sell-out the product? It’s Doubtful.

Although most men are still warming up to skin-care produced and marketed for them, the huge anti-aging industry may be the most easily accepted introduction to the male population. Looking young and maintaining youth is equally desirable to both males and females and there is no stigma attached to men who pursue youth as being less masculine. Quite the contrary – masculinity, much like femininity, is highly associated with youthfulness.

What Causes Premature Aging in Men?

Premature aging of the skin happens for men in much the same manner as it occurs for women. Although aging may be caused by the same factors, the rate at which it does so, researchers have recently discovered, is different. In case you haven’t heard, the biggest contributors to premature aging are overexposure to sunlight and smoking. What makes that such great news, is that they are both completely in your control. The majority of premature aging is completely preventable. Other factors that contribute, in smaller amounts, to premature aging in men include poor diet, stress, and general disregard for and neglect of the skin.

One of the best things to be born of the “metrosexual” movement, or just the plain and simple development of men’s skin-care, is the discovery of new ways of detecting how premature aging occurs. Researchers, in their attempts to determine the differences in premature aging in men and women, have found new ways to detect its occurrence and this may mean great things for the future of anti-aging. Regardless, researchers have discovered that women’s skin ages at a faster rate than men. Additionally, not only do men start out with greater amounts of collagen and elastin in their skin (the cells responsible for firmness and smoothness), but they loose it at a slower rate. Although researchers do not know why men are superior in collagen production and retention, it’s yet another great thing about being a man! Your skin ages slower than a woman’s.

What To Do About Aging Skin

For men concerned about premature aging, we’ll give you the same advice we give women. An ounce of prevention is worth much more than a pound of cure and there has yet to be found any cure of premature aging. Your best bet? Avoid overexposure to sunlight, don’t smoke, use natural and well-balanced skin-care products, exercise, eat right, and drink plenty of water. To date, products that offer any anti-aging benefits have yet to prove any significant results although some do offer minor improvements in premature aging symptoms such as small surface wrinkles or sun spots.

Strategies that may offer more dramatic results when it comes to repairing the affects of aging may be found at a spa and include microdermabrasion, laser resurfacing, and surgery. If you are interested in pursuing any of these methods of anti-aging treatment, you will want do your homework thoroughly before investing as they all employ different methods, have different recovery times, and vary in cost.