Men's Personal Care Information
More articles below:
Impotence, Incontinence Risk Casts Doubt on High-Tech Prostate Surgery
Watchful Waiting Works for Older Men With Prostate Cancer
Virus May Drive Some Prostate Cancers
Adult Weight Gain Tied to Prostate Cancer Risk
When It Comes to Casual Sex, Men Aren't So Picky
For Macho Men, Doctor Visits Are Less Likely
Make A Great First Impression With Your Appearance
Beyond taking a shower every morning, here is some basic tips:
Check your face
You don't necessarily have to shave, but at least ensure that your face is clean and free of "debris." A quick look in the mirror to check for nose hair, stuff in your beard or crust in your eyes doesn't take more than a few seconds, and is well worth the effort.
Groom your hair (ear, nose, chest, head, etc.)
Hair growth happens with regularity, so make trimming and upkeep part of your routine. Wash and condition your hair every day (or every other day, depending on your hair type and length). Set aside one day a week (preferably a Saturday or Sunday, when you have more time) to tend to ear, nose and chest hair.
Clean your hands
In the business world, handshakes can make or break you; in the dating world, a woman expects to see nice hands. So all you have to do is cut your nails regularly, scrape away the dirt with a "nail cleaner" or a nailbrush (which you can keep in the shower to save time), wash your hands frequently (to avoid sweaty, sticky hands), and use lotion on occasion (to keep them smooth).
Apply lip balm
There is nothing worse than looking at chapped lips, and trust me, no girl will want to kiss them. Find a good lip balm and use it regularly. Just don't put too much on, or it will end up looking like lip gloss. And if you don't like applying it in public because of the unmanly look it portrays, then do it in private when you go to the bathroom.
Dress well
You don't need a suit (unless the occasion calls for it), but you should always wear clean clothes that are wrinkle-free and smell good. In other words, wear clothes that were just in your drawer or closet, not your hamper.
On a related note, select clothes that fit. After you put on your clothes, take a look in the mirror for a few seconds to make sure they fit properly. Yes, their preferred fit will vary over time as styles change (along with your body and taste), but the key here is to pay attention to what you're putting on.
Use some sort of scent
Many guys go to town wearing some sort of fragrance, using everything from scented soap and deodorant to aftershave and cologne. Other guys prefer not to use anything. Like most things in life, the answer is moderation. Pick one scent (otherwise you'll combine fragrances, which will result in a weird smell) and go with it. Just make sure it isn't too strong and make sure not to bathe in it. One final note: Don't skimp on cost here; cheap cologne will act like repellant.
Shine your shoes
People tend to look at your shoes right away. If dress shoes are appropriate, make sure they're shined. If you're wearing casual shoes, make sure they look clean and new. Tattered shoes tell the world that you either don't have money or don't care -- neither option is attractive.
Getting Closer to the Origins of Prostate Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Two studies take significant steps toward solving major mysteries about prostate cancer -- the exact spot in the gland where tumors can originate, and how to distinguish fast-growing malignancies that are life-threatening from the slower-growing kind that can safely be left alone.
One study, reported in the Sept. 9 online edition of Nature, describes a previously unknown form of prostate stem cell that can become cancerous if genetic controls go haywire. The prostate consists of several layers of cells, with the lowest, the basal layer, playing a supporting role and the luminal layer, just above it, doing the actual work of the gland.
"Up until our paper, it was thought that all the stem cells in the prostate reside in the basal layer," explained study co-author Cory Abate-Shen, a professor of urology, pathology and cell biology at Columbia University's Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, in New York City. "We have found a second stem cell population that is luminal rather than basal."
The discovery was made in mice, and the next step is to show that the same kind of stem cells exist in humans. "But this work partially explains how you can have a prostate cancer that is luminal," Abate-Shen said.
The research group already is looking for similar stem cells in human prostate glands. "If we can identify them in humans, we can analyze them molecularly," Abate-Shen said. "We want to do battle with these stem cells."
The mouse work showed that the newly described stem cells can give rise to cancers if the action of a tumor-suppressing gene is lost. That gene is frequently mutated in human prostate cancers.
If the same kind of stem cells are found in human prostate glands, "that would give us a tool to study where and how prostate cancer originates," Abate-Shen said.
The second report, published online Sept. 9 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, uncovered an association between infection with a sexually transmitted parasite, Trichomonas vaginalis, and an increased risk of prostate cancer, especially the virulent form of the disease.
"We found an association between serological evidence of Trichomonas infection and prostate cancers that were either advanced at diagnosis or after follow-up proved to be fatal," said lead researcher Jennifer Rider Stark, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The finding came from a study that compared 673 men in the long-running Physicians Health Study who had prostate cancer against an equal number of cancer-free participants. A blood test showing infection with the parasite indicated a statistically significant incidence of cancers that were potentially deadly because they spread out of the prostate gland.
Women are routinely screened for T. vaginalis, but men aren't, Rider Stark said. "We often only find out if a man is infected if his female partner has symptoms," she said. "Then we also can treat the male population."
It is possible that screening men for the infection and treating it when it is discovered could reduce the risk of life-threatening prostate cancer, she said. "But it is premature to assume that," Stark said. "We need more population-based studies to confirm that the association actually exists. Until other studies also demonstrate the same association, such measures are a way down the road."
Still, "it's exciting to find a risk factor that is potentially important for prevention," Stark said.
Both findings follow a widely reported study, released earlier this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that found that a virus called XMRV is strongly related to the more aggressive form of prostate cancer.
More information
Learn about prostate cancer from the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
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