I have just learned a new term, it is called “Brotox.” I am not sure where I have been, but the term has been around for about a year now. With more men concerning themselves with how they look, it is increasingly common for them to start looking to mild cosmetic enhancements. Now, we are not talking about extreme face lifts a la Barry Manilow, where the skin is pulled so tight that the recipient is hardly recognizable, but a natural, more subtle approach to aging gracefully.
As a whole, we are living longer than generations past. We live in a society where how we look and how we keep up our appearance makes a difference in our lives. From simply meeting new people to landing that dream job, our first impression can make or break us. Women have always felt the heat of having to look their best, but in today’s society, men often feel the pressure too.
The term “metrosexual” came about in the mid 90’s, but it became mainstream in 2002 with David Beckham. Sure, he is a great soccer player, but his popularity became huge due to his looks, his care in how he was perceived on and off the field. He was not afraid to dress well, groom well and take his skin care, hair care and body care to the limits. David Beckham, we thank you!
All men at some point feel like they are being aged out by younger people, whether personal or business related, and that can be a catalyst for wanting to take better care of themselves. That may be by going to the gym, getting their hair colored, or now, it may be by getting a little Botox or laser resurfacing. There’s been a shift in the way men think about cosmetic procedures. They consider them as maintenance; they’re a means to an end of being the best version of themselves. It’s like going to the gym — most men don’t go to the gym for their heart disease they go because it makes them look and feel good and that’s what these procedures do as well.
When I first started in the medical esthetics field, about 5% of my patients were male. Now, I would say it is close to 40%, maybe higher. I have found that being at Toronto Dermatology Centre, where both women and men come in to see our amazing dermatologists, men feel more comfortable than going into a medspa, where the clientele is still more female oriented and the staff not as rigorously trained and experienced. They realize that both men and women have broken blood vessels, sun damage, aging skin, and body fat. They are smart to understand that if a woman is allowed to fix the things she doesn’t like about her appearance, then they have that same right. In a medical setting such as ours, it is perfectly normal and comfortable for a man to discuss treating acne scars, current acne conditions, rosacea and any number of concerns that they would like to address. There is a confidence at our clinic that both our dermatologists and our medical estheticians are simply here to accommodate their concerns and that they are not unusual in their requests.
“Brotox,” a fun, brilliant word for treating fine lines and wrinkles for men is just the beginning. I don’t have any cool terms (yet!) for filling volume in the skin, smoothing out scars or getting rid of red veins or brown sun damage spots, but I may start working on that too. Our dermatologists can treat lines and wrinkles, add volume where it has been lost, and even get rid of that annoying double chin for our patients. They understand the difference in what men want as opposed to the more feminine look a woman wants and are easy to accommodate. On my side of the clinic, we treat body fat (very popular right now), acne, acne scars, surgical scars, sun damage, broken vessels and aging skin. We love to teach our patients how to look after their skin at home from something as simple as how to wash their face properly to suggesting the right products for them to maintain their new, improved appearance.
There is no longer a need for men to sit in the dark when it comes to their appearance. Skin leathered by the sun or damaged by teenage acne doesn’t have to be a burden any longer. We are living longer, but we don’t need to look like it!
~ Sheri Roselle, Medical Esthetician at Toronto Dermatology Centre
