More and more men are discovering Botox® and getting treatment. A Pittsburgh Post Gazette article by Jaqueline Feldman details the story of a Pennsylvania native, Danny Paranik, and his experience with Botox®.
Danny is an extremely active 64 year old man who works as a personal trainer and tennis instructor. As expected with aging, he began to notice wrinkles in his face. Botox® came as a natural solution to cure his wrinkles.
Botox® is a brand name for Clostridium botulinum toxin type A which doctors inject into patients’ faces to paralyze the small muscles and give a smoother, lifted appearance as an end result. Botox® and Dysport® are the only brands available for use in the United States.
Since Danny began receiving Botox® treatments in 2000, the number of American men getting cosmetic procedures grew to 750,000 in 2010. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, in 2010, men still only made up about 8 percent of all patients undergoing cosmetic procedures. But, the total number of cosmetic procedures for men is steadily growing, as it has increased over 88 percent since 1997.
Dr. Lori Cherup of Radiance Plastic Surgery in Pennsylvania estimated that she currently sees three times as many men in her office for Botox® than she did in 2009.
She also said that men may get Botox® to look better for the women in their lives. Regardless, men still may face some awkwardness while entering the traditionally female dominated space of cosmetic procedures.
Pittsburgh plastic surgeon Dr. Leo McCafferty said that men are drawn to Botox® over other procedures because the process requires no surgery and the effects have a relatively seamless and natural look. Men desire to have the seamless look of Botox® to enhance their appearance without others being able to tell they’ve had Botox® injections.
“Botox® very subtly rejuvenates, and, in my opinion, that’s what’s most appropriate for most men,” Dr. McCafferty said. “You don’t want to feminize the brow or the eyebrow in men.”
A brow lift is an alternative to Botox® that can cause scars which are more difficult to hide for men with receding hairlines than for women, Dr. McCafferty said.
For men who are uneasy about the idea of being as open with their own cosmetic procedures as Danny is, the subtlety of the effects of Botox® is crucial to them in their decision to choose that path.
The American Academy of Facial Esthetics offers training and certification courses for both Botox® and Dermal Filler. The AAFE’s Botox® and Dermal Filler training ensures that clinicians will feel confident in immediately integrating these facial injection services into their practice, while simultaneously giving patients the seamless looks they desire.