Written by Menswear Style in Grooming on the 16th October 2019

Your 30s are arguably some of the best years of your life. You’re strong, healthy and you probably have more money than you ever did in your 20s. This is the decade where you feel like you’re finally hitting your stride. You’ve got everything figured out - except for your skin care routine. A solid skin care regimen in your 30s is key to preserving your good looks well into the next decade. Here’s how you can start.

1. Swap Your Soap for a Daily Facial Cleanser 

If you’re still using regular bar soap to clean your face, it’s time to rethink your daily cleansing habits. Bar soaps often have high pH values that can mess with your skin and cause a slew of problems such as acne and dry skin. We recommend saying goodbye to your bar soap and using a daily face wash for men that’s formulated for your skin. A facial cleanser is designed for your face and will wash away dirt, grime and oil without over-drying your skin.

2. Moisturise to Hydrate and Protect Your Skin 

Moisturising is an essential part of any guy’s skin care routine, regardless of his age or skin type. A good moisturiser will lock in hydration and keep your thirtysomething-year-old skin looking youthful. When shopping for a men’s moisturiser, be sure to find one with SPF. According to a 2013 study published in Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, roughly 80 percent of visible facial ageing can be contributed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. In other words, the sun is ageing your face like no other. By applying a daily moisturiser with SPF to your face, you can protect your skin from harmful UV rays and keep wrinkles at bay for longer.

3. Give Dull Skin a Good Scrub 

Face scrubs are another essential component in your skin care arsenal. A gentle face scrub will help slough off dead skin cells that can build up and cause dull, lifeless-looking skin that often plagues guys in their 30s and beyond. The key to using a face scrub properly is to limit its use to once or twice a week. Using your face scrub any more than this can potentially dry out the skin. In your 30s, your skin is still doing a decent job at shedding dead skin cells on its own. Even so, it doesn’t hurt to use a face scrub to boost the process along and breathe new life into dull-looking skin.

4. Make Eye Cream Part of Your Routine 

Whether happy hour went on later than expected or you just had a late night, a lack of sleep can show up on your face. Those under-eye bags that make you look perpetually tired aren’t a good look and can potentially have serious consequences for your career. Don’t believe your skin could be hurting your career? Age bias in the workforce has been well-documented. According to a 2015 study published in the British Journal of Management, researchers suggest that older-looking candidates are less likely to be hired than their younger counterparts because old age is associated with lower health and fitness. Adding an eye cream for men to your skin care routine is a small step that can quite literally pay off. In any case, you’ll be much happier waking up in the morning without seeing unsightly eye bags in the mirror.

5. Be Proactive about Wrinkles 

Some guys don’t get wrinkles until their 40s, while others start noticing them in their mid-20s. No matter how many wrinkles you have, now is the time to start thinking about an anti-ageing skin care routine. An anti-ageing skin care regimen doesn’t need to be complicated. If you’re already using eye cream, consider adding a face serum for men to your skin care arsenal. Face serums are essentially lightweight moisturisers that are packed with anti-ageing ingredients such as peptides, antioxidants, retinol and ceramides. This high concentration of active ingredients provides a potent, anti-ageing blast to the face that can help reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

6. Use Sunscreen Daily 

While you may not spend as much time outside as you did in your 20s, protecting your skin from UV rays should still be a top priority. Skin cancer can develop at any age. In fact, it’s one of the most common cancers to strike young adults, according to the American Cancer Society. Using sunscreen has been proven, time and again, to significantly reduce the risk of developing skin cancer. By applying sunscreen to your body every day and using your daily moisturiser with SPF on your face, you can prevent sunburns and lower your risk of skin cancer in the process.

7. Indulge Yourself with a Men’s Facial 

Why wait until your skin is old and wrinkly before giving it the VIP treatment? Your 30s are the perfect time to start scheduling regular appointments with an esthetician and reaping the benefits of a facial treatment. While getting a men’s facial might seem strange at first, the benefits speak for themselves. Facials can be tailored exclusively to your skin’s unique needs and help solve a variety of skin care woes, from acne blemishes to dull skin and wrinkles. With many anti wrinkle injection clinics offering facials, getting rid of wrinkles has never been easier. Not to mention that facials come with a sneaky side benefit: Total relaxation. With their warm towels and gentle facial massaging, you’ll soon feel your worries start slipping away. You’re basically getting a two-for-one deal.

It’s commonly believed that a man in his 30s is in his prime years. However, you can easily stretch these years into the following decade with the right skin care routine. With a few anti-ageing skin care products, proper sun protection and consistency, you can achieve better skin now and in the future.

With tips such as Swap Your Soap for a Daily Facial Cleanser, Moisturise to Hydrate and Protect Your Skin, and Give Dull Skin a Good Scrub, this is a man's Guide to Starting a Skin Care Routine in Your 30s.