THE COSMETIC TWEAKMENTS MEN CAN BOOK TO NOT GET PILLOW FACE

Every so often another article surfaces heralding the ‘rise in male tweakments’ claiming that men are catching up with women as regards booking cosmetic treatments to look their sharpest and freshest version of themselves. And while women of course still dominate bookings, statistics show that demand for cosmetic enhancements are steadily rising across the board. Men may not be rivalling women in terms of cosmetic demands, but the statistics do show that men are definitely booking in for more cosmetic tweaks than even several years ago. The latest British Association of Accredited Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) audit showed that while men still only made up 7% of all cosmetic procedures in the UK in 2022, that figure was a 118% rise from 2021. And every practitioner I’ve spoken to in the past year has agreed that they’ve seen an increase in the male footfall through the clinic door with some doctors actively tailoring their resources to men on the lookout for cosmetic enhancements.

Why are men more interested in tweakments than they used to be? Well it’s probably partly to do with changing beauty standards. Ten years ago, the beauty industry was a very female-orientated area, but society’s beauty standards, rightly or wrongly, have evolved significantly, and a well-groomed, youthful appearance can now provide a competitive edge for men in lots of professions be it the football field or the boardroom.

There is also significantly less stigma attached to having in clinic treatments these days. Tweakments are now being more widely discussed across the board, and this means that society’s taboo around them is slowly being broken down. That’s to the benefit of both sexes.

The pandemic’s Zoom Boom also contributed to lots more men booking cosmetic appointments after seeing themselves on screens with increased video calls. This combined with the decreased stigma attached to booking a treatment, has seen many aesthetic clinics actively marketing their services to men. Lots of clinics now include ‘male tweakment’ tabs on their sites to make navigation easier.

So what do men want from a tweakment?

In a nutshell, the majority want to look a bit sharper and less tired. And a bit like booking in their car for an MOT, men want a treatment to be quick and as pain free as possible and something they can ideally do in their lunchtime.

Dr Ophelia tells me, “The majority of men want a treatment that’s effective with as little downtime as possible. They must be able to see results, but results must be subtle”. Male or female, nobody wants a pillowy face look after visiting a clinic. The majority want to look refreshed as if they’ve had a really good holiday.

I asked Dr Ophelia for the list of treatments that men are booking at her clinic.

For the Eye Area Polynucleotide injections around the eye area are extremely popular with men because the results are noticeable but very natural looking. They can help with fine lines and crows’ feet around the eye area and also help with creepy looking skin under the eye area too, so the overall effect is you look less tired. It’s not a filler but is something called a biostimulator which means it works with your body to stimulate your own collagen production.

You won’t get any weird cat-eye shaped eyes after this treatment which we’ve all seen at some point in the press usually when a celebrity has overdone filler or Botox in this area. The skin also looks much more hydrated after being treated. You usually need 2 sessions of treatments and results can be seen after about 4 weeks. The effects can last around 6 months but this will vary from patient to patient. Treatment is quick and is administered using a tiny needle and topical anaesthetic can be used to reduce discomfort.

Another popular treatment in Dr Ophelia’s clinic with male patients is the Thermage FLX eye treatment. Thermage FLX is a non-invasive skin tightening treatment using radiofrequency that can smooth, tighten and lift the skin for an overall younger-looking appearance. It can be used on the face and body and offers long-lasting results after just one treatment. Lots of patients find it is a good alternative to eyelid surgery as it can really lift the brow and heavy hooded eyelids. As far as in clinic treatments go, it is hard to beat from a results point of view. It can also work well to tighten a softening jawline.

For the jawline and neck Morpheus 8 is a bit more invasive as it combines microneedling with radiofrequency but when used on the right patient, it can provide very good results. It’s the first device that can remould the skin to treat concerns such as lines and wrinkles but is also effective on sagging skin around the jawline and neck. The microneedling and radiofrequency technologies work to stimulate your own collagen production so again results are very natural looking. There may be a few days of downtime after the treatment where you can look red and a little puffy but this doesn’t last. Aqualyx fat dissolving injections are also popular with men for helping get rid of a double chin and improving the definition of the lower face. Lots of men have issues with stubborn fat in areas that won’t shift sometimes even after losing weight. Aqualyx is injected and binds to fatty tissues, breaking it down. The body will then flush out the broken down fat after the treatment. It can also be used on other parts of the body to treat small, exercise-resistant pockets of fat around the chest, abdomen or thighs.

If rosacea is diagnosed, Dr Ophelia will recommend a skincare regime including her rosacea bespoke skincare serum which is tailored to the individual with professional strength actives to help calm the rosacea flare up. Lots of male patients also benefit from a course of light or laser based therapies. Intense pulsed light (IPL) is one of the most popular treatments to clear up redness and inflammation. For stubborn areas of redness, more targeted lasers such as the Nd:YAG are used. A fractional resurfacing laser can be used to treat the nose enlargement that can be associated with rosacea.

For Wrinkles and Fine Lines Anti wrinkle injections such as Botox are still one of the most effective options for softening wrinkles and fine lines particularly on the forehead and between the eyebrows. They can also be used to relax the masseter muscle to treat teeth grinding. They are also booked by some patients to successfully treat excessive sweating.

By Lucia Ferrari