The Rise Of "Brotox" — Breaking Free From The Old Taboos

Every guy needs to admit the fact that “feeling old” sucks no matter what your age. We all look in the mirror every morning and judge ourselves by how we look, and then our day starts — ours friends, colleagues, acquaintances, loved ones, and strangers in short the whole world looks at us and responds to our quintessence in direct or indirect ways; compliments (verbal or nonverbal) always boost our morale and criticism at some level ends up denting our self confidence. Women have been indulging in anti-aging rituals from time immemorial; the pertinent new-age question challenging the beau of today is — Is it “OK” for men to take a dip in the aesthetic fountain of youth?

Women have always been held to a far higher standard when it comes to aging, therefore it’s a modern and socially acceptable norm that most females will willingly go under the needle or knife to reset nature’s clock. Men, by contrast, have long worn their wrinkles and sun damage as a public badge of endurance, hard work, experience, and sacrifice. The ultimate symbol of masculinity; Clint Eastwood roping bad guys in and delivering justice in the “The Good, The Bad & The Ugly” didn’t have a smooth, flat forehead. Similarly high-profile male role-models & celebrities like Robert Redford and Sean Connery who have rocked their creases for decades on the red carpet have also perpetuated the psychological baseline that it’s better for men to remain au natural.

But things can’t always stay status quo, the Marlboro hunk might have portrayed the picture of the ultimate “Manly Man” looking all rugged and creased with a cigarette pursed in his lips in 1959, but smoking is not as fashionable in 2016 as it was back then and the same holds true for the wrinkles. The new face of masculinity and People Magazine’s sexiest man of the year 2015; David Beckham has allegedly been bitten by the aesthetic surgery bug. Brotox (Bros using Neurotoxin to erase wrinkles), high-def abs and other aesthetic procedures have begun to shape the brand new “Menaissance” — a golden Era of Unapologetic Male Beauty.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, over 6,757,198 U.S. men received “Brotox” (a.k.a. Botox for men) injections in 2015, highlighting a 355 percent increase, since 2000. The goal for most men doing aesthetic treatments is not to look younger; they just simply aim to look better, more attractive, more rested, and fit. Though the staggering rise in numbers is impressive and a testament to the fact that men and women both want to look good no matter what the age, there still is some stigma attached to men receiving aesthetic treatments. Most men believe in going to the gym and taking care of their health, and physical fitness. So why not take other measures to look and feel their best too?

Reality of life is: “Men age” and lucky for them the cosmetic tools to hide it are no longer reserved for ladies and plastic-faced newscasters. The increase in male patients undergoing cosmetic procedures is driven by:

·      A desire to be more competitive and youthful in the workforce, the growing social acceptability of cosmetic procedures and increased awareness of the safety and efficacy are all contributing factors to the increase in male patients.

·      In addition, age-related concerns have men seeking cosmetic procedures. With younger urban male professionals, gender conventions are blurring, and these men also understand the importance of maintaining their youthful look.

·      The constant sharing of photos on social media is also driving pressure on younger men to look fashionable, well groomed and fit.

The trends of self-grooming for men are constantly shifting and more men than ever are fixing their faces with lasers, needles, and chemicals. Men have begun to accept and realize that tiny injections of neurotoxins can really make them look well rested, sharp and fresh. Looking young, feeling young — feels good and restores confidence. It also just might give you an edge at your next job interview and improve your love life. Furrowed brows and “Elevens” don’t represent industry experience the way they used to so being able to come across seasoned as well as youthful is often the ticket to nailing your next big promotion against the Millennial who’s leveraging age against you. The aesthetic industry stats back the acceptance of aesthetic treatment among male patients, one last thing you need to know before you embrace the Bro-tox trend is choose your doctor very carefully. The injector has to understand the characteristics of a male face and ensure during injections he/she does not feminize the face even minutely.