Holiday Skincare Gifts for Him

This transcript was exported on December 15, 2023 -view latest version here.

(00:04): Skin care can sometimes feel overwhelming. Whether it’s finding the right products, ingredients or treatments, there’s a lot out there, but not always for people of African, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and Eastern South Asian descent. That’s why I set out to educate myself and others so that we can all feel beautiful in our skin. Hello and welcome back to The Skin Report. I’m Dr. Simran Sethi, an internal medicine doctor, mom of three and CEO and founder of RenewMD Medical Spas and Skin by Dr. Sethi

(00:40): On this episode, we’ll demystify the world of men’s skincare so you can find the best holiday gifts for him. Buying products for men isn’t always easy. We’ve all heard the joke about how men simply wash their face and everything else with three-in-one shampoo, body wash and conditioner products. While this isn’t always the case, most men do tend to be minimalists when it comes to skincare and cosmetics, but to their credit, the majority of men do have a biological advantage compared to women in the same age groups, which is why they can get away with fewer skincare steps. But first, I want to remind everyone to please subscribe to The Skin Report Channel. Subscribing ensures you won’t miss out on any of our upcoming episodes filled with more fascinating discussions and insights. So hit that subscribe button to stay connected and stay informed, and let’s get started.

(01:36): Breaking down the science behind men’s skin can help us understand what type of products they benefit from. For example, men tend to have a thicker dermis compared to women and produce porci bum or oil in their skin, making them less prone to forming fine lines and wrinkles. These traits can also be problematic for men who are more acne-prone. Fortunately, the gifting list that I’ve compiled for this episode has solutions that can treat men’s acne, acne scars and age-related skin issues.

(02:07): So first, let’s start with skincare product ideas. A great regimen for skin brightening and fine line smoothing should include an AHA or BHA cleanser with a moisturizer during the day, followed by sunscreen. While at nighttime, it would repeat the cleansing and moisturizing steps from the morning routine, but substitute the sunscreen step with a retinol product. Let’s use my line, Skin by Dr. Sethi as an example.

(02:35): The AM skincare routine could include, step one, washing with the resurfacing face and body cleanser. Step two, moisturizing with the Ultra Glow Moisturizer. Step three, finishing off the routine with the skin protect sunscreen. At the end of the day, the PM routine would involve once again cleansing with the resurfacing face and body cleanser, moisturizing with the Ultra Glow Moisturizer, and then applying a Retinol Lipid complex as the final step.

(03:06): Applying these skincare products in this order each day can help keep men’s skin barrier nourished and strong, while also delivering continuous skin cell turn over to smoothen the skin and address unwanted pigmentation from previous acne or sun damage. So if you’re looking for a gift that can amp up a man’s skincare routine, I suggest picking up a quality cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen, retinol or all four. I’ve covered each of these in more detail on the show before. I’ll include links to these episodes in the show notes in case you’d like more guidance on choosing any of these products

(03:43): Up next, we’ll take a look at some gift-worthy skincare treatments that you can give to a special guy in your life. Men deserve quality skin treatments too, and that brings us to our next topic, facials. Yes, men can benefit from facials on the face and the back. Facials are relaxing, but most importantly, their job is to super exfoliate the skin while hydrating it. This makes skin less prone to breakouts and can improve the penetration of your skincare products. When people normally apply skincare, only 25% of it penetrates into the epidermis and dermis of the skin, but doing a facial on a monthly basis can increase the penetration 60% to70% for up to weeks after the facial.

(04:31): Additionally, facials also remove all of the debris and dead skin sitting on the most superficial layer, the stratum corneum, resulting in a brighter, clearer complexion. And yes, you heard me right, facials can also be performed on a person’s back, which is actually a popular area for these treatments. Bacne or back acne is very common in men, and if it is left untreated, it can result in acne scars and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or dark spots on the back. Treating the skin with a facial and using exfoliating products like the resurfacing face and body cleanser will prevent breakouts and allow for better hyperpigmentation reduction on the back. Therefore, I recommend a facial on the face or back as a gift for any man looking to address acne, hyperpigmentation or dull skin in these areas. With this gift, your recipient can enjoy getting pampered during the treatment, and he will definitely appreciate the after effects as well.

(05:34): Now that we’re on the topic of in-office procedures, let’s take it a step further by discussing Botox. Believe it or not, Botox treatments have recently been becoming more popular in men, which has earned at the name Brotox. I’ve covered the topic of Botox extensively on this podcast before and actually have a whole episode on Botox that I’ll link in the show notes for anyone who wants to do a deep dive into the science behind this fascinating solution. But for now, I’ll share why I think Botox or Brotox is a great gift-worthy option for men especially.

(06:10): Men tend to have stronger facial muscles, primarily in the forehead and crow’s feet areas, which means that they can form deep wrinkles in those parts of the face. Botox works by stopping involuntary facial muscle contractions, which in turn keeps the overlying skin from moving and forming wrinkles. Botox lasts for only three to six months, and most people need to come in for Botox injections three to four times a year.

(06:36): Now, a big concern that many people have with treatments like Botox is the fear that they may end up looking frozen or that the effects of the Botox will be noticeable to people who aren’t aware that they got the procedure. However, Botox can look very, very natural as long as it’s injected by an experienced licensed injector. The average cost of a unit of Botox in the United States is around $12 to $14 a unit. If you’re seeing lower prices than that, make sure that the injector is experienced and of course, is actually injecting Botox.

(07:12): Botox is a brand name and falls under the category of neurotoxins. Other popular neurotoxins similar to Botox are Xeomin and Dysport. All people can develop insecurities about fine lines and wrinkles that form over time as a result of everyday facial movement, but a Botox treatment is an affordable and temporary solution that can ease these concerns so that they can feel confident and comfortable in their skin.

(07:40): Before we wrap up this episode on the best skin gifts for him, I want to share some options for treating men’s hair. Whether the man you’re shopping for wants to grow it or ditch it completely, there are giftable hair treatments that can help him out this holiday season. For removing excess hair, an in-office laser hair removal procedure is always the best option. Laser hair removal is also becoming more popular in men with typical treatment areas being the chest, back, upper arms and even the face. Now, it’s worth mentioning that laser hair removal in men typically takes a few more sessions compared to women as they often have thicker and coarser hair in comparison. But just like with women, the results of in-office laser hair removal treatments are permanent.

(08:26): When looking for a place to shop for a laser hair removal treatment, make sure that the clinic knows how to treat the patient’s skin tone, whether it be yours or your gift recipients. As with all patients, men with darker skin tones will be more susceptible to burns and hyperpigmentation with laser hair removal if it is not performed with the right device or by an experienced operator. Diode and Nd-YAG laser hair removal devices are best at permanently destroying follicles with dark hair and are the safest in the industry.

(09:00): What if excess hair isn’t the issue? Well, for men seeking hair growth, a PRP hair restoration treatment is the way to go. Now, men are more likely to experience hair loss and earlier in life. According to recent data, male adrogenetic alopecia is the most common form of hair loss in men affecting 30% to 50% of men by age 50. But the good news is that PRP hair restoration is an effective treatment for various types of hair loss, including male androgenic alopecia and stress-related hair loss. The key to seeing the most success with these treatments is to start them early, when the balding area has not completely lost hair and the scalp is not so bare that it’s shiny. For more information on all things to do with the PRP hair restoration procedure, I have a full episode on PRP hair restoration that you can check out.(09:58):I hope you like this episode on gift-worthy products and procedures that you can use to treat a special guy in your life this holiday season. Remember, skin care and cosmetic solutions can be used by anyone to improve their health and their confidence. Thanks as always for listening, and until next time, love your skin, love yourself, and celebrate your beauty.

(10:20): If you’d like to learn more about science-backed skin care or medical aesthetic treatments, please subscribe to and turn on notifications for The Skin Report so you always know when a new episode is up. We have a newsletter that you can sign up for on skinbydrsethi.com, so that you can stay up to date on all our latest products and more. Additionally, if you have a skin care question or want to make an episode topic recommendation, please message me at theskinreportbydrsethi.com, which is linked in my show notes, and I’ll be sure to answer your question in an episode soon.

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