58% Of Men Skip This Simple Step In Their Daily Routine, And It’s Not Helping Them Age Better

Moisturizing regularly is essential for healthy skin. But men often skip this crucial practice, dermatologists say, and it could causes them some unexpected skin problems.

“Men are generally low-maintenance when it comes to skin care regimens,” said Dr. Purvisha Patel, a dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon. “Culturally, they may have been told that skin care and beauty is something girls do to be attractive; however, this is changing.”

While that may be a generalization (and we all know there are exceptions to the rule), there are also numbers to back it up.

In a recent YouGov poll, only around 40% of American men said they have a consistent skin care routine, and 58% of men said they rarely or never use moisturizer — but a number of them were concerned about dry skin and wrinkles.

Those findings aren’t surprising to Dr. Aubrey Chad Hartmann, a dermatologist for U.S. Dermatology Partners in Cedar Park, Texas. “Most men do not moisturize adequately,” he told HuffPost.

But doing so is crucial, especially as you age, he said. If you’re a man who typically doesn’t moisturize, read on to see why doctors believe you should change that.

Men usually aren’t accustomed to applying products to their skin, Hartmann said. They also may not like the heavy or sticky feeling that some products can have.

Though women tend to develop a multistep skin care routine starting at a young age and discuss skin care with their mothers or friends, Hartmann said it’s traditionally been rare for men or boys to have these conversations.

Another issue is that many people don’t associate wrinkles with dryness or the need to moisturize, said Dr. Kenneth Mark, a cosmetic dermatologist. These days, he said treating wrinkles is more commonly linked to dermal fillers or Botox.

The skin is your body’s largest organ, and it acts as a barrier. When it’s healthy, the skin prevents bacteria, allergens, irritants and other environmental elements from entering the body, and it keeps water and moisture inside, Hartmann said.

“You can think of the skin as a brick wall,” he explained. “The cells are the bricks, and the mortar is made up of different substances the body produces to fill the gaps and maintain the barrier.”

People with dry skin may lack some of these compounds, Hartmann said, which can give your skin a dry, rough, wrinkly appearance that might be itchy, irritated, inflamed and…