Skin care for men is not a new idea. A wide range of products formulated specifically for the male skin has been around since the early 1980s. Now you know what you have been missing.

A basic skin care routine should be the daily procedure for any self-respecting man. Skin care helps to make you look and feel better and can prevent pre-mature ageing of the skin.

In this concise crash course on skin care for men, I concentrate on the areas where your age shows most: face, neck and hands. Spending five to ten minutes twice a day will not turn you into a babe magnet but at least you'll qualify for membership in the human race.

Of course you can wear your girlfriend's (substitute with wife, partner, lover, boyfriend, as required) clothes. You would even satisfy the act of dressing's most basic purpose: to get clothed.

Similarly - on a hunch, dipping into your girlfriend's pots is better than not doing anything at all for your skin (although I cannot prove this theory), but she won't be impressed and she will certainly not thank you for it. Besides, you won't smell right.

Go get your own, because men's skin is different and needs a different level of care. Men's skin has a thicker epidermis (the top layer of your skin), men have thicker facial hair and, crucially, men's skin produces more oil – the cause for blocked pores, blackheads and spots.

It is true that knowing your skin type is important in selecting the right care routine. Skin is usually described as normal, oily, dry, sensitive or combination.

If you are reading this, you probably want a quick and easy introduction to skin care. The basic regimen for all types of skin is cleansing, toning, moisturising – and that's all I want to introduce you to in this skin care guide for men.

Sticking to these three steps will take you a long way towards well-groomed, healthy skin.

If you have very problematic skin, you should consult the expert resources.