Style
Worst-Face Scenarios
Zits, sores, flakes, bumps, rashes (and worse) are sharing your mirror. Here's how to stare 'em down
Imagine how incredibly ugly you would look without your face. There you'd be, casually sitting at a bar, flashing your big rictus grin, and then, right before your exposed eyeballs, the other patrons would run out in drunken horror.
Of course, simply having a face is no guarantee that you won't produce the same results when you show up on Ladies' Night. There are all sorts of bumps, blemishes, and dermatological baddies that can keep a man's mug from being a kisser.
We know, a pimple here or an age spot there might not seem like a sentence of celibacy, but remember that you're working with only about 30 square inches of epidermis. We're talking valuable real estate. This means anything that isn't an eye, a nose, a mouth, or a mustache is a squatter. Match up what you see in the mirror with this ID guide, and we'll tell you how to serve up a few eviction notices.
YOU KEEP BLUSHING
Your problem isn't psychological; it's dermatological. An estimated 5 percent of men over 40 have rosacea-a condition in which hyper-active blood vessels produce a sporadic red-in-the-face effect. If it's left untreated, the blush lasts longer, and bumps and pimples start to pop up.
To get a new face: Get the heck out of the sun; ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation is a common rosacea trigger. And when you do venture out, slather on sunscreen that includes Parsol-1789, aka avobenzone, as an ingredient, says Leonard J. Swinyer, MD, a clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Utah. Sunscreens with Parsol-1789 do the best job of blocking UVA rays. Note: Make sure the sunscreen is also labeled "noncomedogenic," to keep your pores from getting clogged. While you're protecting yourself from a solar flare-up, watch the wine, too. According to Manjula Jegasothy, MD, director of the Miami Skin Institute, red wine is most likely to produce a matching face. "People with rosacea are particularly sensitive to tannins, chemicals found in red wine," she says. Exercise, another trigger, keeps rosacea sufferers flushed for as long as three hours after cooling off. Keep your body temp under control throughout your workout by draping a cool, damp towel around your neck, chewing on ice chips, or periodically misting your face with cool water.
And if that doesn't work: Ask your dermato-logist about Noritate, a prescription anti-inflammatory cream that treats the bumps caused by rosacea, says Coyle Connolly, DO, a dermatologist at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Your doctor will probably also give you a vitamin C cream to reduce the reddening. The alternative: a paintball mask.
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Men's Health Philippines - August 2005
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