Male vs. Female Skin: Do women age quicker than men?

Men and women are often pitted against each other when it comes to daily life but not many people think about skin differences despite skin’s importance.
Skin is the biggest and most visible organ of the body after all. Unfortunately females have additional pressures when it comes to looking after it. Hormones can wreak havoc and makeup can often clog up the skin, while pregnancy and breast tissue can leave women with sagging skin and stretch marks, while men seemingly get away relatively easy.
While women generally live longer, there’s another reason for men to be chirpy about ageing – skin thickness. Male skin is often around 20-30% thicker than female skin – helping resist wrinkles to a greater extent.
Women often get the last laugh because women outlive men and many women have a skin care routine that helps to protect and nourish their skin.

Male Skin
Androgens (hormones like testosterone that are responsible for male characteristics) help increase the thickness of men’s skin. While this is good when we are young, it’s not so helpful when it’s a big factor behind male pattern baldness (see our blog post on DHT).
Men have a higher collagen density compared to women. It has been said that the intrinsic characteristics of male and female skin mean that male skin often looks younger for the same age. However male behaviour and sun exposure can limit this difference considerably. People often don’t realise just how much sun exposure without the right protection can damage the skin and how important a skin care routine is for vibrant skin. Some people are lucky and their bodies handle the damage better than others but why take the risk?
Nature and Nurture
Male facial hair also acts as a kind of support structure for the face. Men have more collagen and elastin fibres (connective tissue which gives skin its elasticity and strength). It’s been said that we lose about 1% of the collagen in our skin every year after our 30^th year, accelerating for menopausal women.
Hair glands produce oil which means male faces are often oilier than female faces. This helps trap more moisture, keeping the skin hydrated and giving it a plumper appearance. Men frequently do not use as much moisturiser as women and being oilier is partly why they may be able to handle not doing so to a larger extent. Shaving, a kind of microdermabrasion, is also a significant exfoliation process for the skin’s outer layers, helping improve the skin in the short-term but causing lasting damage in the long-term if not properly treated. Over time repeated shaving can also steadily break down the hydrolipidic film on the surface of the skin – reducing the natural protection and lubrication.
It’s also important to note that men are just as vulnerable to skin cancer. 90% of all deadly skin cancers are caused by ultraviolet light from the sun so it’s always important to stay safe in the sun and check your skin regularly for any significant changes. And all that extra oil can be the right kind of breeding ground for the bacteria responsible for acne.

Skin Rejuvenation Treatments

If you skin is looking a little lack-luster than your fresher male friends then you may seek treatments to help give it a bit of a boost.
We have a variety of effective treatments to help you regain a more youthful glow including:

Microdermabrasion

A medical microdermabrasion is a mild resurfacing procedure that is suitable for all skin types and ideal for brightening dull skin.
A handpiece will be passed over the skin with a flow of medical grade crystals that work to remove the top layer of dry dead skin cells. This exfoliation will clear your skin of dead cells revealing soft new skin cells and a brighter complexion. The handpiece also has a vacuum which not only clears the crystals from the skin but will work to remove any oil and congestion on your skin promoting the production of new elastin and collagen.
With no downtime and immediate results, it is a popular treatment for patients looking for a quick pick-me-up. It can also be combined with many of our other skin rejuvenation treatments if you are feeling in the mood for a real pamper session.

Chemical Skin Peel

A chemical skin peel is another great way to improve the appearance of dull skin. As there are many different types of chemical peels available we would advise attending a skin consultation first to enable our practitioners to assess your skin and recommend the most suitable peel for your skin.
The Epionce Refresh Peel is a great place to start however, an ideal first treatment for anyone that is new to the world of chemical skin peels. The refresh peel is intended to help increase hydration within the skin, encourage cell turnover rates and give patients a brighter and smoother appearance with no peeling or flaking.

Bespoke Youth Trio

Our Bespoke Youth Trio Treatment is a combination treatment that involves a mix of enzyme, chemical and laser treatments to help boost your complexion reducing the appearance of tired and dull skin. Available exclusively at our London Harley Street Skin Clinic the treatment is designed to rejuvenate and restore your skin with no downtime.

Profhilo

Profhilo is an injectable treatment but instead of focusing on specific areas of concern like dermal fillers and botox – it instead treats the face as a whole – more specifically the skin and it’s texture. Profhilo is a unique mix of Hyaluronic Acid (HA) that works to treat the skin laxity by skin bio-remodelling. You will be required to have two treatments spaced 4 weeks apart but after this time, you will begin to notice that your skin feels smoother, tighter and overall brighter with a feeling of hydration.
Skin Rejuvenation at The Private Clinic
There’s so much to say about skin and so many ways to effectively treat it. We have a team of Dermatologists and experienced medical professionals to help treat both men and women.
We have clinics nationwide in; London Harley Street, Birmingham, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Leeds, Manchester and Northampton.
For more info about how we can help you look rejuvenated and fresh, please call us on 0333 920 5531 or use our online contact form.