Endorser Richard Guttierez. Flawless skin clinics offer men a skincare haven.

When Flawless skin clinic first launched its Real Gentlemen Line in 2008 with actor Richard Gutierrez as its first male endorser, it had a tagline that said, “Only a real gentleman can wear pink.”

Well, it turned out that there was more to being a real gentleman than just wearing pink. Real gents, apparently, take good care of their skin.

“Men’s skin is approximately 20 percent thicker than women’s,” says Flawless senior operations manager Theresa Gutierrez. “It’s typically firmer because it’s richer in collagen and elastin and has more active sebaceous glands which explains why it tends to be oilier. And, because of daily or regular shaving, men’s skin are also more prone to dehydration.”

Male skin also has larger pores, richer blood supply and an increased tendency to sweat. All these are reasons why the clinic offers what it calls its Real Gentlemen line of tips, products, and services designed specifically for men.

Flawless adopts a “patient-centric” approach, each male customer is required to undergo free consultation with the in-house doctors in each of the 32 branches nationwide to determine correct skin type and the corresponding skincare products and services applicable.

“Some men don’t want to be bothered with too many skincare products and want something that they can easily apply,” Gutierrez points out. “For them, we recommend they start their skin regimen with the basic cleansing and cleansing after shaving.”

While not too many guys are aware of it, daily shaving causes men’s skin to dry out. That’s why Flawless recommends men to use shaving creams or gels that are specially designed for their skin type, whether it’s sensitive skin, dry skin, or skin prone to imperfections.

Gutierrez says guys should keep in mind that “shaving creams are a much better option than shaving foams, which has air pockets that can lead to nicks.” “If you’re using a shaving gel, you should apply it clear as lathering produces the same effect as a cream and can also be drying to skin. Also, a swivel-head razor will decrease nicks, as opposed to a disposable razor.”

As a general rule, Flawless advises men to moisturize according to the needs of the skin. Gutierrez stresses that men with oily and acne prone skin should specifically look for products that are non-comedogenic, meaning they don’t cause pore blockages. Those with normal to dry skin should only use non-alcohol-based toners while mature skin types need more hydration especially around areas prone to wrinkling, like the eyes and mouth.

Specifically, the clinic recommends the following Real Gentlemen products for men. “Our deep cleansing RG Soap is suitable for acne and oily-prone skin,” Gutierrez says. “Our RG Toner restores skin’s natural ph balance, minimizes the pores, helps remove dirt and excess oil causing blackheads, whiteheads and pimples. At the same time, it also whitens, lightens, and prevent pre-mature ageing while our RG Day and Night Cream moisturizes, soothes, whitens and protects the skin from everyday exposure to the sun. With its light emulsion, skin will not arrive at any greasy and sticky feel every after application.”

Now on its eighth year of operations, Flawless offers two simple yet effective facial treatments. Its RG Facial is recommended for those on the go and includes an eight-minute contouring massage that’s “supposed to contour the face to let your bone structure become more obvious” and applies an algae mask that’s specifically effective for oily skin.

The more relaxing Advanced RG Facial, on the other hand, includes a 10-minute firming massage to tighten sagging skin and a gel-based reaffirming mask that covers even the eyes for better absorption of Vitamin C.

And, thanks to the current tagline of “Less Is More,” all of the above products and services are available to its increasing number of male patients at affordable prices.

For more information, visit www.flawless.ph.