It's unbelievable! More and more men are wising up to the importance of good male skin care. They are realizing that taking care of your skin is no longer just a cosmetic issue. It's a health issue. For a man skin care methods may be a new learning experience. In order to get the best results, you need to know about the right and wrong ways to take care of your skin, along with a few little pointers that will help you look better.

1. Cleanse

Starting your male skin care with proper cleansing is important. The wrong cleansing method is to overcleanse your skin. You don't want to strip your skin of important oils that keep your face and neck moisturized. Avoid cleansers that contain alcohol. Bar soaps can also be harsh. You will know that you have overcleanesed your skin if it feels tight and dry after washing.

Cleansing your face and neck should be done once a day, preferably right before you go to bed. Use a mild cleanser that contains natural, active ingredients like Kaolin and bentone gel. A dime size amount of cleanser is usually all you will need. Rinse with warm (not hot or cold) water. Gently towel dry.

2. Exfoliate

For a man skin care that includes exfoliation usually isn't necessary if he shaves daily. The razor exfoliates the skin as it shaves whiskers. You may often hear women express envy that men's skin often looks better than wormen's. This is usually due to the exfoliating effects of shaving.

If you don't shave regularly, you can add an exfoliating treatment once a week to your male skin care routine. Just be sure to use a gentle scrub with tiny grains. The wrong method is to exfoliate with cheaper scrubs that use bigger grains. These scrubs can tear and damage your skin.

3. Moisturize

A basic law of male skin care is that applying moisturizer is necessary for sealing in the skin's moisture. A nature-based moisturizer should be applied to the face and neck after cleansing. Again, a dime-sized amount of a moisturizer that uses natural, active ingredients will be readily absorbed, leaving you feeling comfortable in your skin. The wrong moisturizing method is to slather on a large dollop of moisturizer that can clog your pores and smother skin cell function.

4. Protect

The biggest risk to the health of your skin is exposure to sun, wind and environmental pollutants. Not only do they have the potential for prematurely aging your skin, they can also put you at risk for developing skin cancer.

For a man skin care that promotes the health of the skin must include protection from these elements. While many dermatologists and skin care experts believe that sun screen is a "must use" skin care product, there are others that believe the synthetic ingredients (SPF) that make up the majority of sun screen products can be even more dangerous than exposure to the sun. SPF factors are synthetic products, which are absorbed into your skin and then into your bloodstream. The long term effects of these chemicals still aren't known. The jury is still out on the right and wrong methods for sun protection.

If you have to be in the sun for long periods then using sun screens that contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are safest since these ingredients cannot be absorbed into the skin. However, these sunscreens have drawbacks since they create a barrier to the rays of the sun, which carry essential Vitamin D . Recent studies have found up to 60% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D, which is partly due to the enormous increase in the use of sun screen.

You can protect yourself from the harmful rays of the sun by avoiding sunlight when it is strongest...between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. If that isn't possible, wear a hat that provides adequate shade from the sun. Lightweight, long sleeves are also recommended to protect the skin on your arms.

You can boost the effects of the right male skin care methods by using these little pointers:

1. Drink an adequate amount of filtered water daily. This helps to flush damaging toxins that build up in your cells.

2. Increase the amount of brightly colored fruits and vegetables in your diet. These fruits and vegetables are loaded with antioxidants which are so effective at fighting the free radicals that cause lines and wrinkles.

3. Increase your physical activity. The more you move the more your circulation is increased. Your blood carries essential oxygen to all your cells, helping them do what they were designed to do - keep you healthy and looking youthful.

Make no mistake about it. If you are a man who takes male skin care seriously, then knowing the right and wrong man skin care methods is going to go a long way toward helping you look and BE healthy.