Skincare Treatments for Men
More and more men are taking their skincare seriously however for some there still exists a stigma about investing in professional treatments. Despite this, the number of men’s visits to professional aesthetic clinics including the services of plastic surgeons is steadily increasing and today’s hyper-connected and ultra-sensitive man is more than ever aware of the advantages of having great skin.
More men are turning to aesthetic cosmetic procedures, with dramatic increases seen in both surgical and non-surgical options over the past five years and a 43% increase overall. Facing a challenging and sometimes ageist job market, men like women, are starting to consider their options to maintain a youthful appearance that exudes energy and exuberance. The UK market for cosmetic interventions (consumer value) was worth £2.3bn in 2013, and it is estimated to rise to £3.6bn by 2015. Non-surgical procedures (injectables, laser/light therapies) are estimated to account for 90% of procedures and 75% of the market value. (Department of Health 2013 Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions).
Men over 50 in particular are susceptible to the challenges of maintaining youthful looking skin, and the phobia of not looking as young, fit, and active as one’s younger colleagues is very real. It’s not so much about looking younger however more about looking rested, relaxed, and comfortable and having the energy to go the distance.
Men do not necessarily want to eliminate lines and lose their rugged looks however many do wish to soften the look of aging and to revitalize their skin. Shaving off the years is fine however not to the detriment of one’s masculinity! Whilst a stable healthy diet and regular exercise can help, professional aesthetic treatments are a powerful ally and well worth considering. Non-surgical aesthetic procedures are designed to give your appearance that rested, relaxed look.
The question is often asked as to which are the best treatments for men. Naturally, men can have the same skincare or cosmetic services as are offered to women, and in many cases facials for men are performed in the same manner as facials for women. In the past, aesthetic skincare treatments have been thought of generally as a female-oriented area. Whilst this may still be true to an extent, the percentages of male patients seeking aesthetic treatments is now commensurate with the increasing number of procedures performed each year.
There are however few aesthetic treatments that ’tick all the boxes’ to make men feel comfortable both prior to and during treatment, and we recommend a few options for you to consider:
Photodymanic Therapy (PDT) - Lightox Anti-Ageing
Lightox line reducing treatments are designed to minimise and treat aging of the skin. The philosophy behind all these treatments is to treat the skin from the inside as well as from the outside. Aging of the skin is caused by several factors, such as sun damage, pollution, stress, an irregular life style, and dehydration of the body and skin.
At age 30, when the skin starts producing less collagen, fine lines and wrinkles will show in the face more clearly. Throughout our lives, DNA and proteins in the skin are damaged by ultraviolet rays of the sun. Because of this, the skin starts to lose its elasticity, which of course affects how we look, and especially how we feel.
Lightox treatment strengthens the tissue by producing collagen and elastin. It also stimulates the micro-circulation, which leads to the building of new cells. The treatment can also relax the muscles, whilst helping to repair sun damage and protecting the lower layers of the skin.
Lightox treatment peels and cleanses deeply, and stimulates the oxygen supply to the skin. This process enhances a healthier skin, a better supply of nutrition, whilst moisturising and cleansing.
A series of 6-10 treatments is recommended as a course, with one or two treatments per week as a follow-up. To keep up the good results and to help the skin stay healthy and tight, a maintenance treatment every 4-8 weeks is also recommended.
Lightox line reducing treatments:
- Help to activate and strengthen collagen and elastin fibres
- Deep cleanse, peel and strengthen the micro-circulation and the absorbing of oxygen
- Promote natural cell building
- Repair sun damage and protect the lower layers of the skin
- Have an immediate tightening and lifting effect
- Give the skin glow and vitality
- Add nutrition to the skin.
For extra protection before going out into the sun, 1-2 treatments are recommended.
PDT Skin Treatment for Sensitive Skin
Many men suffer from sensitivity, allergies and skin dermatitis. Good consultation from a qualified aesthetician will help to find some of the underlying reasons that cause these stressful and sometimes daily problems.
The damaging pollution that surrounds us can create unpleasant side effects on our skin. In addition, stress during our daily lives, the food in our diet, and different chemical products can all have damaging effects on the face and body.
PDT treatments in association with some recommended sincare products can reduce sensitivity, add moisture, and repair and protect the skin against these damaging influences. These treatments can be used to speed up the circulation of oxygen in the skin and to remove different toxins.
- Help reduce sensitivity and redness
- Sooth and heal
- Strengthen capillary walls
PDT Skin Treatment Acne, Oily and Impure Skin
When the skin is healthy, it will naturally contain a perfect combination of oil and fat to stay soft, supple and youthful. But when the skin is out of balance, the sebaceous gland produces an over amount of oil and fat, which can contribute to the development of acne vulgaris.
The reasons for acne vulgaris are complex. Examples include stress, colon problems, food intolerance, hormonal reasons, etc. PDT uses specific light wavelengths to kill the bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes and P. Acnes, which live in a hair follicle in the skin). If a man has an oily skin type, the production of the bacteria will increase. This can lead to blocking of hair follicles, which will show as black spots or inflamed pimples.
The P. Acne-germ tolerates a very low level of oxygen. This type of treatment uses certain light frequencies to kill the P. Acne-bacteria. These light frequencies cause a molecule named porphyrins to produce oxygen, which in its turn kill the bacteria. Light can also be used on chosen acupuncture-points to help balance the hormones that play a significant role at occurrence of the disease.
It is also of significance to watch one’s diet and avoid the use of cosmetics that can block sebaceous glands. To further boost effectiveness, it is recommended to have a full detox treatment of the colon and lymph system prior to a PDT acne treatment.
- Helps kill germs
- Corrects imbalance of hormones
- Deep cleanses skin
- Balances pH
- Draws out impurities
PDT External Colon Cleansing
Don’t panic guys - this is an external non-invasive treatment!
Many sicknesses start in the colon. The non dissolved toxins are transported from the colon via the blood stream to the tissue. Further it is spread in and around the fatty cells and transformed into cellulite. If there is too much toxin in the colon, this can lead to the lymph system working slower, which again can lead to constipation. For those who suffer from chronic constipation, it will take longer and more treatments to respond to the external colon cleansing.
Many health problems start with colon constipation, included hemorrhoids, air, sleeping problems, migraine, bad breath, overweight, acid stomach, cellulites, skin problems etc. It is important that the colon functions daily. The body will normally remove toxins every fourteen to twenty hours. Toxins and free radicals can multiply after this period.
- Helps a natural peristalsis and helps remove toxins from the colon
- 2-3 treatments is recommended
- Each treatment takes 10-15 minutes
- After a colon cleansing, it is important to drink a lot of water, to exercise, to eat much fresh fruit and vegetables, and to be careful with large quantities of red meat, bread, yeast products, dairy products, tea, coffee and salt.
In general, it is recommended to have one series of treatments per year, which consists of 2-3 cleansings over 2-3 days.
Chemical Peels
Many men prefer the convenience, quickness, and fast results of chemical peels and each year dermatologists and aestheticians are selling more peels to men to treat a variety of problems. Having a chemical peel is also a great way to reduce lines and wrinkles on the face, helping to make the skin appear more healthy and to give it a certain glow. Men can even stay on the phone through most of the procedure and there is no need for dimmed lights and gentle spa music.
Peels work fast and there are no injections, hence men feeling comfortable about the procedure. Men tend to prefer gentler peels, such as those with glycolic acid (rather than fraxal laser peels) as these avoid the risk of walking around looking pink and flaking.
Chemical peels are also referred to as derma-peeling or chemexfoliation. They use a chemical solution to improve and smooth the texture of skin by removing its damaged outer layers. It is a non-invasive and economical approach to soften the look of acne scars and control acne. The procedure makes the skin peel off because when the solution is removed the old skin comes with it leaving fresh, smooth, skin behind.
Prices vary because there are different types of chemical peels available, from the mild over-the-counter peels, to those performed by professional aestheticians. Often, more than one treatment is necessary to get maximum results and the procedure can become slightly more expensive when it is done to remove deep wrinkles, extensive scarring, and more noticeable blemishes.
After a peel treatment the skin is often extremely sensitive to the touch and to daylight, and sunburn can occur if precautions are not taken.
Your aesthetician should always advise as to which medication should be avoided prior to treatment, as this will help to help prepare the skin, and will also aid the healing process.
Body Contouring
Men tend to deposit fat in hard-to-lose areas, such as the central abdomen and flanks. The utilization of non-invasive devices using cold temperatures to freeze the fat has made body contouring yet another fast growing cosmetic market for men.
Men are great candidates for these procedures given the fast results, minor discomfort, and noninvasive nature. Although many men have visceral abdominal fat that does not respond to these treatments, areas treated often provide great long-term results, especially around the upper and lower abdomen, flanks, arms, chest, and back.
The innovative Cool Contour system system utilizes two different sequential treatment techniques to achieve skin tightening and reduction of lipid rich body locations. These are Photolipolysis combined with heat and pressure to the skin.
A red light in combination with pressure and elevated tissue temperature will force lipids out the fat cells. This treatment will provide some immediate reduction of subcutaneous fat. Thereafter, long term reduction of subdermal fat cell by apoptosis inflicted by ischemic and reperfusion induced cell damages. Selective damage to the fat cells is faciliated by maintaining ischemia (blocked blood circulation due to high skin pressure) over an extended period of time. The dermal cells are protected against ischemic cell injury by selective cooling while the deeper lying, and thus warmer fat cells, will experince irreverisble cell damage.
The thickness of the subcutaneous layer may be reduced by an average of 20% after 2–3 months, and even more after 6 months. Further reduction may be achieved with additional treatments.
Dermal Fillers
The gap between men and women who are considering dermal fillers is closing. Last year in the USA, one in every eight cosmetic surgery procedures were performed on men. And why not? Dermal fillers are a highly effective method to maintain a youthful appearance to enable men to feel good about their self image.
The typical male patient may have noticed an increase in facial lines or wrinkles and may have been told once to often that they are ”looking tired”. Dermal fillers are not invasive surgery, however they provide a minimally invasive, low risk solution. Many men are encouraged by their wives or girlfriends to try dermal fillers, however there are those forward-thinking men that make the decision on their own.
Dermal fillers are made from Hyaluronic Acid, and are the most popular volume-enhancing treatments used to reduce facial lines and wrinkles. They can actually redefine the shape of the face. Hyaluronic Acid is a natural component in the skin, giving ‘bounce’ and helping to retain water. Dermal fillers are safe, long-lasting and they offer natural looking results with lines and wrinkles being smoothed out and the skin appearing fuller and younger.
Men often require more volume restoration than female patients and as a result, there might be differences in the content of the filler used for a man. What or how much filler is not something a male patient has to worry about as this is taken care of by a qualified aesthetician.
The nasolabial folds - the crease that runs from the lower nose to the corner of the mouth - frequently deepens and becomes more prominent with age and is a popular area for dermal filler among male patients. Some men consider dermal fillers for facial volume loss, which can be caused by an intense exercise regimen and result in sunken eyes and hollow upper cheeks. In men, fillers might be placed under the eyes, in the mid-face, and / or along the jaw line and temples. Men have a flatter face and more prominent jaw and brow, as well as a flatter brow, and it is important for most men to retain and emphasize these masculine features. Dermal fillers are highly targeted and can achieve these aims.
Most dermal fillers include an added anesthetic such as lidocaine which makes the treatment virtually painless. The length of the treatment will depend on the areas being filled, but generally the procedure takes about 30 minutes, and fillers work instantly so you’ll see the results straight away. The most important considerations when having Dermal fillers should be your safety, the expertise of your practitioner and the products being used.
Try a treatment. To chat with one of our consultants or to book for any of the above treatments, please call +44 (0)7816 445005 or email cotswolds@moclinic.co.uk.