Editorial note: this post was updated on June 25, 2020
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- From female influence to an everyday trend?
- Not just for wrinkles
- Botox® for men vs. women
- Fast, easy and affordable
- A popular treatment of choice for men
Are you looking for safe, quality Botox® injections in Vancouver? We can help! Our lead doctor has over 20 years’ experience using Botox®. He is considered a top injector in the Vancouver area.
Man Botox®, otherwise known as “Brotox,” has been a growing trend for a while. The medical aesthetic industry has seen ‘man cave style’ clinics popping up. They are geared specifically towards men. Some find this interesting because, traditionally, cosmetic treatments for wrinkles and body issues were considered a woman’s ‘thing.’
But, these days, there is nothing ‘new’ about men caring for how they look. And, that idea is not reserved for the gay, ‘transitioning’ or ‘metrosexual’ population either. So-called ‘alpha males’ with the whole ‘masculinity’ preference are seeking Botox® injections, quality skin care products and other beauty services more and more. Think: David Beckham and Old Spice Guy.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported in 2015, that “the number of cosmetic procedures performed among men has increased over 325% from 1997.” They also stated that, “the numbers don’t lie – Stigma is down” (and this was regarding all cosmetic procedures, not just wrinkle injections).
In this article, we’ll explain why Botox® for men is officially ‘in,’ and what anyone needs to know before seeking a male-focused, “Brotox” service.
Learn about how Botox® works, here.
Looking for Vancouver “Brotox” (i.e. Vancouver Botox® for men)? We’ve got you covered!
“Brotox” and man-grooming probably started with female influence, and grew from there
How did the “Brotox” trend start? While that can be hard to answer without interviewing every single man seeking Botox®, people speculate that it probably had to do with female influence.
You can just imagine: a lady partner gets her wrinkles smoothed, talks to her man about it, and may say something like, “honey you have wrinkles in this spot, you should get Botox® too!”
Plus, if a girl thinks it will make a man look handsome, that may be an encouragement for them to get it done. It’s kind of like the gesture of growing a beard if your woman likes it, or wearing certain clothes to appear attractive (how many females do we know that buy men their outfits?).
And, if you read the above-linked article about David Beckham, you can see him openly confess that he started his grooming line after ‘stealing’ his wife’s products to use on his own body. Below are some of the interesting statements he makes in that interview:
My approach to grooming was always to steal my wife’s products.”
…the way I looked after it was to steal my wife’s stuff, because I know she has the best.”
I never used to use face wash, apart from using my wife’s products.”
My mum was a hairdresser—actually, she was part of the spike, which was one of my first hairstyles. …she wouldn’t let me get a perm.”
It says a lot about female influence on how men groom, right?
From there, it was likely something that men started talking about more, until the ‘shame’ of doing something ‘feminine’ was over. It probably helps that musky perfumes are added to male-tailored grooming products nowadays too.
Today, there’s hardly any quibble or stigma about a man getting Botox® or using face and body creams. Women like their men spelling nice and looking nice. So, naturally, men may veer to it for that reason. And they’ll talk about it amongst themselves.
Sure, some men like to keep their Botox® treatments under the radar, as do women (though probably for different reasons). And that’s fine. It doesn’t mean they’re not getting though!
Men may also talk about how caring for their facial appearance helps with their career, so they look ‘brighter,’ and younger. It’s a more welcoming look. It goes well with the nice outfits and hairstyles that lend credibility to salespeople, customer service workers, entrepreneurs and more.
Men benefit from “Brotox” in many ways; it’s not just for wrinkles
The other reason “Brotox” probably got popular over the years, is because Botox® itself expanded its reach of solutions. For example, Botox® is not just a wrinkle relaxer. In fact, it started out as a drug to reduce muscle spasms. It has since been tested and studied for uses ranging from migraine and joint pain reduction, to sweating, scar reduction, crossed eyes and even bladder issues in both men and women. There’s now talk about it being used for sexual functions in both sexes.
So a man may see a doctor about Botox® for headaches. And since that procedure has the same effect on wrinkles as a purely aesthetic injection, they may feel like they’re getting a double benefit out of it. They start to look good, and feel good (and not just because migraines are reduced). Then, word gets around…
Or the issue may start out as an embarrassing case of hyperhidrosis. No man wants to wear their suit jacket on a hot day, just to hide the sweat stains on their armpits.
Pssst… check out our newer treatment for armpit sweat, called miraDry®.
And let’s not fail to mention the problem of our cultural need to shake hands. Imagine being in a business meeting, holding a tissue in your fist, hoping you won’t have to extend a sopping wet palm to someone during an introduction.
Botox® can fix that.
Is Botox® for men different than Botox® for women?
Botox® in itself is the same product used for both men and women.
The differences come with the administration of the injections, to achieve specific results. For example, getting a facial expression to look a certain way can require varying injection points with this drug. Men and women may want different things out of this procedure.
It’s important for the practitioner doing the needle insertions to know what the effects will be from every dose and distribution on the face. If they have experience treating men, they’re more likely to understand how their ‘pokes’ will affect male muscles and anatomy.
In fact, any good doctor should start by asking a male (or female!) what type of emotion or expression they want to convey on their face. If they want to look less angry, for example, that can mean a different procedure than looking more masuline or ‘toned.’ It can also be different than creating a ‘smoothed edges’ look, or a ‘less tired’ look.
Sometimes, these improved facial expressions can be better achieved by a dual procedure involving Botox® with dermal fillers, like Juvéderm®. This is called a non-surgical facelift. A doctor should have adequate training on various types of injectables to get really good results with this ‘mixed’ procedure.
Men also don’t want to look like they’ve been ‘done.’ The same is true of women. But, admittedly, men may find this even more embarrassing, if it happens. Having the ‘frozen’ look on their faces will announce to the whole world that they’ve sought cosmetic treatments, which may still be stigmatized in their social circles.
A very good Botox® injector can make a person’s face look natural, and only slightly ‘lifted.’ The patient will look good, but in a subtle way.
Botox® is fast, easy and more affordable than plastic surgery. For men, that’s a dream!
Botox® is certainly not as cheap as skin care products (which men should also use, in our opinion). However, compared to plastic surgery, it’s extremely affordable. It’s also a lot faster, and doesn’t require any downtime. Some people call it a “lunchtime procedure.”
This not only saves time and money for busy men, it also helps to hide the fact that they’ve had work done.
Plus, as the stereotype goes, men aren’t exactly the type of creature to spend hours on their beauty needs, and then view it as a worthwhile investment. However, a good old, ‘set it and forget it,’ ‘pop in and out’ kind of solution can be ideal for these cases.
The results of Botox® last roughly 3 to 4 months in most bodies. That’s a fairly low commitment for looking wrinkle-free. Plus, many people get Botox® because they want to prevent wrinkles, not just treat the ones they have.
None of this is to say that women aren’t busy, or that they don’t want the same time savings – not at all! We’re just saying that, if you look around a spa or an aesthetic clinic, you typically see more women, who seem to devote more time – and funds – to their looks.
To conclude: our modern, social-media world is making Botox® a treatment of choice for men
If we’re being honest, we live in a world where looking ‘ripped,’ looking young, looking fun and having sex appeal is almost a requirement for being popular, getting a date or even landing a job (crazy as that sounds).
Sure, the nerdy, disheveled, nose-in-a-book type still acquires friends and followers (online and offline). But social media selfies are making us all want to look better and better. It’s no wonder then that cosmetic treatments are on the rise, for both women and men.
From the trends we’ve seen, it looks like “Brotox” is here to stay.
Are you looking for safe, quality Botox® injections in Vancouver? We can help! Our lead doctor has over 20 years’ experience using Botox®. He is considered a top injector in the Vancouver area.
