Men are increasingly getting concerned about their looks, as the numbers suggest. Botulinum Toxin (or more commonly known as Botox) injections among male clients are up by 337% from 2000 while dermal fillers saw an 86% increase since 2000, according to the American Society of Surgeons. In general, the number of men getting cosmetic procedures has grown by 325% over the last 20 years.
Looking good is no longer viewed as having to do with vanity; if anything, it has more to do with career enhancement. Men want to be viewed as competent and filled with youthful vigor; showing up at work with dark under-eyes and unsightly stubble could signal otherwise.
More than any other procedure, Botox injections are the most requested. Botox has many medical uses (relieving migraines and preventing heavy sweating among a few of them), but for aesthetics purposes, it is FDA-approved for wrinkle reduction of ‘angry 11’ lines and crow’s feet. Botox is a very quick procedure to soften lines in these areas, with results lasting up to 4 months.
Dermal fillers are injected into the soft tissue of the skin to plump it back up. This is usually done among patients who have lost some of the fat that form as support structure of the skin. Dermal fillers can be used to correct deep creases of the nasolabial fold and ‘marionette lines’ that run from the corner of the mouth down to the chin. Some of the dermal fillers are made of biocompatible gels such as hyaluronic acid. They not only double as chin and nose fillers and volumizers to achieve the desired face contouring, but also as triggers to stimulate the body to make its own collagen.
The light and heat from laser energy can be used to treat a variety of skin conditions such as active acne and acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles, skin pigmentation from accumulated sun damage, flushing from rosacea, and broken vessels. In Singapore laser clinics, laser therapy is also performed to permanently reduce unwanted hair, and is ideal for those who want to avoid the pain of razor bumps and barber’s itch.
Chemical peels are ideal not only for pigmentation treatment but also as corrective procedures for sun damage, shallow scars, active acne, fine lines, and wrinkles. Using a solution that exfoliates several layers of the skin, chemical peels are the oldest cosmetic treatments in the world dating back to ancient Egypt when food acids (like soured milk) were used to slough off dead skin cells.
Today, chemical peels use a variety of proprietary formulation alongside hydroquinone and other acids such as glycolic, kojic, salicylic, and TCA or trichloroacetic acid. One popular acne treatment Singapore patients find extremely effective is Cutis Anti Acne Peel because of its high yet safe concentration that unclogs pores while killing acne-causing bacteria.
An alternative to chemical peels and laser skin resurfacing is microdermabrasion, a skin rejuvenation treatment that gently sands away the topmost outer layer of the skin using tiny crystals, removing acne scars, wrinkles, fine lines and discoloration. Unlike dermabrasion which is a surgical procedure that requires anaesthesia and downtime, microdermabrasion is a rather relaxing procedure where the patient can resume regular activities afterward.
When wrinkles and creases cannot be corrected by non-invasive skin tightening treatments, and loose skin can only be nipped and tucked by surgery, then a face lift might be a more suitable procedure. One out of 10 people who get face lifts are men. Other surgical procedures on the face that men undergo are rhinoplasty (nose job), blepharoplasty (upper and lower eyelid lift), neck lift and chin augmentation.
Body fat around the abdomen can be hard to lose even for men. For those who want to show off muscles and abs but would rather not exercise, liposuction, which remains one of the top five male cosmetic surgical procedures, can be an option. This procedure entails the use of a hollow tube connected to a suction machine to reshape the abdominal area and reduce the flanks. Liposuction is easily recovered from, with patients normally returning to work in a day or two (although the full effect could take up to two months to show).
In Singapore where non invasive fat reduction is gaining ground, a no-downtime alternative to reduce body fat is cryolipolysis (an example of this fat freezing treatment is FDA-approved Cool Sculpting), which uses controlled cooling to permanently destroy fat cells that are eventually eliminated by the body using natural means. Like liposuction clinics, CoolSculting Singapore clinics also treat gynecomastia, or enlargement of male breasts.
Men over 40 may start seeing signs of andropause, a male equivalent of menopause when production of the male hormone testosterone dwindles. The result of this hormonal imbalance is not just an unflattering ‘Dad bod’ (which men are correcting using either liposuction or cryolipolysis when diet and exercise fail) but also reduced energy, wandering concentration, insomnia, and low libido. To restore youthful vigor, increase sex drive, and minimize the symptoms of andropause, hormone replacement therapy (in this case testosterone instead of estrogen) may be prescribed when medically indicated.
Tags: Face, Pigmentation Treatment, Skin Tightening, CoolSculpting, Hormone Replacement Therapy
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