Style
YOUR FACE IS, UH, SHEDDING
Red, itchy, flaking patches along your eyebrows, around your nose and mouth, and underneath your beard spell seborrheic dermatitis. The ol' snake face is thought to occur when the skin fungus pityrosporum starts multiplying out of control.
To get a new face: Realize that you basically have dandruff on your face. And the best way to handle dandruff? Wash your mug with an antifungal dandruff shampoo, like Nizoral or Neutrogena. Lather up the affected areas, wait a few minutes, and then rinse. "It may clear up the problem in 7-10 days," says Dr. Jegasothy.
And if that doesn't work: Shave off the mustache and the goofy goatee. "It's rare to see seborrheic dermatitis on a man who is smooth shaven," says Dr. Bocachica. But before you move your Mach3 up to your eyebrows, ask your dermatologist for a stronger, prescription version of Nizoral to be used along with an antifungal cream, like Lamisil. This tag-team treatment should stop you from flaking out.
YOUR LIP IS TINGLING
If your lips had lips, you'd hear them tell you a cold sore was coming. Instead, you get a tingling sensation when the normally dormant herpes virus that causes cold sores is awakened by sunlight, stress, or trauma.
To get a new face: Hit the health-food store and get a cream that contains allantoin (a skin-softening ingredient) Six German studies have shown that allantoin can help cold sores heal faster.
And if that doesn't work: Talk to your dermato-logist about a prescription for the antiviral drugs Valtrex. "If you have breakouts six or more times a year, taking one of these oral medications may help," says Dr. Bocachica.
YOU NOTICE THESE LITTLE RED BUMPS
Your hair is so curly that every time you bring steel to stubble, the hair that's left behind grows back into your skin instead of growing out. The result is pseudofolliculitis barbae-hard, red, infected bumps that make your face look like mosquito fodder.
To get a new face: Use an antibacterial wash and follow with a witch hazel-based astringent. The soap will kill the germs hanging out on your ingrown follicles, and the astringent will help close your pores to keep new germs from getting in.
To prevent future bumps, give up handheld razors-the closer the shave, the sharper the edge of the hair, and the more likely it will be to pierce the skin. Instead, use an electric razor with round heads. "A square or angled head puts more pressure on the hair, bending it so that it's more likely to grow back into the skin," says Dr. Bocachica.
And if that doesn't work: Have even more fun with lasers. Diode laser treatments are able to destroy the hair follicles in problem areas, like the sides of the neck and along the jawline. "Ninety to 95 percent of men treated with diode lasers never have ingrown hairs again," says Bruce Katz, MD, director of the JUVA Skin and Laser Center in New York City. You'll need 3-5 treatments six weeks apart.
» Style archive
Men's Health Philippines - August 2005
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