Botox London – men have botox treatments too!

There has been a significant increase in the number of men receiving Botox injections, to the extent it has now been dubbed “Brotox” and has its own hashtag!  Generally, men are now much more proactive about addressing their appearance and are more open to tackling age-related concerns – including fine lines and wrinkles – via safe, non-surgical treatment options.  For some men, a life changing experience such as a wedding or divorce can be the main impetus for undergoing Botox treatments, whilst for others, a confidence boost to help give them a competitive edge in the workplace can be their motivation.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, over 400,000 men received Botox injections in 2014, marking a 337 percent increase since 2000.  This demonstrates an extraordinary rise in the amount of males undergoing this simple and effective non-surgical, rejuvenating treatment – with the added benefit of no down-time – and has done much to remove the stigma associated with Botox treatments amongst males.

The three traditional Botox treatment areas are the same for men and women – the horizontal lines across the forehead, the vertical lines in between the eyebrows (glabella) and the crows feet to the sides of the eyes.  A three area treatment can be converted to a full face treatment at no additional charge and includes small doses of Botox to the lower face too.  A lot of men initially opt for glabella treatments, particularly where these lines make them look angry, as it helps achieve a softer calmer look.  However, where they are looking for a more general freshen up, a three area or full face treatment is an excellent way to look re-energised.

Men and women tend to approach Botox treatments very differently.   Whilst most women undergo them to address anti-ageing and rejuvenation on a more general level, men have a more functional attitude to Botox, and look to tackle specific issues or freshen up rather than make any dramatic changes to their appearance.   So, they may look to remove the lines in between the eyebrows to soften a hard, angry appearance or refresh and reinvigorate to boost their confidence in the workplace, enabling them to feel they can compete more effectively.

The Brotox Groom refers specifically to men who undergo treatments prior to a wedding knowing that their photos will be on display for all to see and for many years to come.  They may combine Botox treatments with a weight loss regime, hyperhidrosis or teeth whitening treatments so that they look tip top on their special day.  The chances are that their partners are undergoing their own pre-wedding treatment programme too.  It is totally understandable and acceptable that a groom will want to ensure he looks extra good when he is captured in his wedding photographs.

Whatever their motivation for treatment, it is important that male patients choose a practitioner who is experienced at treating men, as they tend to have different muscle mass and stronger muscle groups and will therefore require different Botox doses to their female counterparts.  Because of this, many clinics charge an additional supplement for male Botox treatments but at Melior Clinics, where we remain focused on patient outcomes; there is no surcharge for our male patients, who typically compose 15%+ of our patient numbers.

Typically, a Botox appointment will involve a free no obligation consultation during which time the patient will be assessed as a viable candidate for treatment. This gives both parties (the patient and practitioner) an opportunity to discuss the treatment in detail and to carefully consider the patient’s desired outcomes against realistic and achievable treatment results. There is time built into this consultation to have treatment straight away, which most patients prefer to do as it saves them an additional trip to the clinic.  The treatment itself takes only a few minutes and as there is usually no down-time and the patient is then free to return to their normal day and activities without anyone noticing.  As Botox takes a few days to settle in properly so, a free review and top up service is offered as standard to all our Botox patients up to four weeks after treatment to allow for an assessment, and to ascertain if a boost of Botox injections if required.  So, for those Brotox Grooms, ideal treatment timings would be 4-6 weeks before the wedding – which will also allow time for the free review and top to settle down so everything looks natural on the big day.