Men are using Botox to enhance their looks By Dr. InduBallani, Dermatologist, Delhi

Parent Category: News and Stories

Posted in: Beauty n Fitness on Monday, 24 November 2014 12:16

Beauty as they say lies in the eyes of the beholder, but seekingbeauty and investing in your looks certainly is anyone’s choice. Thereused to be a time when beauty parlours and salons catered mostly towomen. Not any more, for men do not any longer shy away from exploringtheir aesthetic side. Now is the time for the metro sexual man.

Nowadays, men are increasingly aware and involved intaking care of their physical appearance and grooming. The trend hasparticularly grown around the last 5-7 years with a rapid increase inurbanisation, multinational job opportunities and disposable incomes.Television and media exposure too has played a major rolein this trend with the culture of looking good on the rise.

In the older days, men were considered to be inherently rough andtough and activities like grooming and beauty care were consideredstrictly feminine. However, men todayhave woken up to the fact that looks are important and looking good isessential for self confidence. Moreover, they have started accepting the idea thatthere is nothing wrong about taking care of one’s looks.

The numerous television advertisements, global travel and increase injob opportunities in TV, hospitality, travel, and modeling industrieshave added to this trend by making the need of looking good pertinent.

There is a spurt in the beauty industry for men services right fromwaxing to skin treatments. Men are seeking advice from experts onbasic grooming to problemsolution for acne, pigmentation, hair balding and ageing and evenadvanced solutions like plastic surgery for hair and body. There is ademand for customised men line of cosmetic products, salons, designersand branded accessories. It is notable that the market of fairnesscreams too has picked up in recent years.

There is a definite increase in number of men approaching the expertswhen they are on the lookout for matrimonial prospects or gettingmarried. As compared to previous times, women are now more independent and have freedom to be selective in their preferences of theirmarriage partners. This has also contributed to the increase inawareness in men of their personal grooming and looks.

Men now do not shy away from waxing, manicure, pedicure, and laserhair removal. They also are open to using anti-wrinkle treatments likeBotox and dermal fillers like Juverderm and various such treatments tolook good. 

Since marriage is an affair to remember, men are not far behind inmaking sure that it becomes memorable. They invest in image makeoverswith the help of professionals, take mock makeup sessions for theperfect look, designer clothes and well coordinated accessories.

As seen in women, men of age group from 14-60 years are activelyavailing of these services. Teenagers, aspiring youths, middle agedand even older men are seen visiting salons and their personaldermatologists for their beauty and skin hair care needs.

Due to peer pressure, boys 13-14 year olds also get their parents tomeet dermatologists for problems like pimples, marks, dandruff andhair loss. With the increase in the fad of looking good and having theperfect body, young menare looking for laser hair removal, bodycontouring surgeries and acne treatments.

At the peak of their profession, middle aged men go for pigmentationremoving treatments and early ageing solutions like laserrejuvenation, peels etc. Plastic surgeries such as liposuction andbody shaping too are being opted by men as is threads, lifts, facelifts.

Hair loss is a common problem across all ages and its solutions arehighly demanded by men. Nobody likes a balding head. Expertdermatologists offer combination solutions of medicines, mesotherapy,hair follicle transplant and platelet rich plasma therapy for hairloss.

Face is a common concern area. The need for a glowing, smooth skinwith no marks or patchiness is high in men nowadays. With the six-packphenomena in vogue, abdomen-flattening treatments are the most in demand. Men are very conscious of their waistline and try variousmethods for loosing the stubborn fat such as various diets, fitnesstricks. When all such efforts fail, they approach experts.

Dermatologists usually recommend non-surgical fat reduction byradiofrequency services like accent ultra, thermageetc for instant,painless, zero downtime results. Plastic surgeons may adviseliposuction or tummy tuck for creating the six-pack effect. Chest isanother area of concern for men.

Men have become sensitive to the signs of ageing and looking old. Theywant solutions, which are short, single session, zero downtime so theygo back to work immediately with instant results and long lasting solutions. Botox and Juvederm cater to all these requirements. So itis a popular treatment among men. Spouses too encourage them for suchtreatments in today's social environment.

Men are also not comfortable with facial surgery so these treatmentsare preferable to them for achieving a younger, fresher look withoutthe hassle of surgery.These are all US FDA products with results of Juvederm dermal fillers lasting for several months. JuvedermVoluma which helps increase skinvolume lasts for a good 18 months. While Botox is particularly goodfor forehead wrinkles, Juverderm dermal fillers work well for wrinklesaround the yes and the lines around the mouth. Juvederm Refine, thelatest in the line of dermal fillers is suitable for finer lines, and

can also be used for relatively younger people.

Men come in for the treatments in their lunchtime, finish the sessionin 30-40 mins and get back to their work. The results are excellent,subtle and look natural which mostly men want.

Sweating is another common problem in men, which can be of social andprofessional embarrassment. Botox provides a fabulous solution in onesession of 30 mins and results last for 9 months.

Importantly, treatments are not exorbitantly expensive. Middle classpeople can also avail them. The sessions generally start from Rs. 1500per session and are very affordable. Also the disposable income hasgone up and men are willing to invest in looking good. It is no longer aluxury but a necessity as many job profiles also demand a clear,glowing facewith a well maintained physique.

In the past, the ratio of women opting for beauty treatments to menwas 90:10. But there has been a major shift in this ratio in therecent times. Now the ratio of women to men is 50:50. An equal numberof men and women are seeking these beauty treatments and are going forall services, which were previously a woman's domain exclusively.