Precision Aesthetics
Male Cosmetic Procedures – The 4 Hotlines
The four hotlines men are targeting to give a bright, relaxed, sharp look are:
- Eyeline
- Jawline
- Waistline
- Hairline
The last four to five years have seen a dramatic trend change with increased acceptance and validation of male aesthetics procedures. From 1997 to 2017 aesthetic procedures have increased by 273%.
Men are living longer, are involved in more relationships in their lifetimes, and are also needing to look better to compete in the job market place. This exponential trend has also been media driven with social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook playing a significant role. Economic prosperity has also contributed with more disposable income being channelled into this direction.
So, what do men want? Generally, not more youthful but rather good for their age. They want to look like the cool guy!
Eyeline
The eyeline refers to removing excess skin from the upper eyelids to give a rested, attentive and energetic, more relaxed look as the eyes can make a man look tired and elderly.
This procedure can be performed under local anaesthetic and sedation with a downtime of one week. In general, the aim of upper eyelid surgery in men is to lift the eyelid skin off the lashes, without leaving the eyes looking empty or feminised. In the lower eyelid, many men want a reduction of the bags and smoothing of the line between the eyelid and the cheek. These concerns are particularly common among active and working men who are often interacting with men and women years or even decades their junior.
Jawline
In men, the appearance of angular (not rounded) cheekbones, a strong, defined jawline, and a jutting chin gives an indication of manliness that many men aspire to. The recent improvement in Hyaluronic filler technology using the new Juvederm filler Volux as well as advances in injection techniques allows the nonsurgical option of creating a more angular, defined, masculine jawline. A single session suffices to create an entirely different profile that can last for up to 2 years.
Filler placed along the zygomatic arch and cheeks gives a more angled triangular look to the cheekbones and face in general. The filler injected gives a chiselled look and also helps to lift the nasolabial fold which is the crease that runs between the corner of your mouth to the side of the nose.
Patients often remark how the jawline appears more squared off and the cheeks more full and angled, commonly the extra volume in the chin can accentuate a chin cleft or if the patient desires a cleft chin can be created.
The Waistline
An expanding waistline and midriff despite exercise and diet can be very depressing for active men.
A solution to this is to reduce the abdominal girth by decreasing the amount of fatty tissue by performing liposuction or using cryotherapy or fat freezing to reduce the affected areas. If there are small areas, then non-invasive fat freezing using CoolTech can be used where cooling of the tissue to -8 degrees for 60 minutes can reduce the fat pockets by up to 23%. Careful selection of patients with realistic expectations is needed as results are seen only 7-9 weeks later.
A more precise guaranteed method is to perform liposuction with contouring of the tissue to accentuate valleys and shadows to create a masculine profile and figure. Abdominal etching using power-assisted liposuction and special cannulae allow this precision sculpting of the abdomen to accentuate the abdominal musculature. Often this procedure also involves removing fatty tissue from the flank areas to improve the final result. Once men look better, they feel better because they feel better, they eat and exercise better, resulting in a virtuous cycle.
Hairline
You’re probably aware with, or at least have heard of the “vampire facial,” a skin treatment that uses your blood to help obtain a glowing, young complexion.
There is a similar treatment for hair loss which also uses your blood.
It’s called platelet-rich plasma, or PRP treatment.
All blood is made of two main components, red blood cells, and plasma. The plasma comprises white blood cells and platelets, which contain growth factors.
Growth factors are messengers that tell skin cells how to function. It is known that they can also help stimulate the activity of the hair follicles and promote new hair growth.
The use of PRP is an excellent treatment choice for hair loss because it has several scientifically based articles showing its effectiveness in increasing hair count, hair thickness, and the growth phase of the hair cycle. This treatment has been gaining acceptance and popularity worldwide over the last few years.
- Blood is drawn from the patient’s arm
- At Precision Aesthetics we use the new Arthrex PRP system which was used first in South Africa by Dr Ching in 2018. The syringe of drawn blood is placed into a centrifuge, which spins the syringe to separate plasma from the red blood cells.
- There is negligible risk associated with PRP injections, and all patients get numbing cream applied to the scalp before the PRP is injected using a very thin needle.
- Cold air or ice packs are used to lessen discomfort during the procedure.
- The plasma, containing the platelets, is then removed and injected directly into the balding areas of the scalp at hair follicles depth.
- The process with injections beginning across the scalp, approximately at every 1 cm over the area of balding usually takes 30-45 minutes.
- If there is any pain after the operation an analgesic is recommended.
- Bruising can happen but usually disappears at a week or two.
- There is no downtime and a warm shower that evening will enhance blood flow and circulation throughout the scalp due to the increase in temperature.
PRP treatments are suitable for anyone with hair loss is, but those with early hair loss tend to have better results. PRP is best used for a genetically determined type of hair thinning patients called androgenic alopecia, which happens along the top of the head.
In women, this might look like a widening part with average hair thickness at the back of the head.
To obtain good results treatments are needed monthly for the first three to four months, then every three to six months after that, depending on each patient’s response and results.
If this protocol is followed then results can be seen within two to three months.
To further enhance the results we use the Thymuskin system which treats active androgenetic (hereditary) hair loss which has an immunological effect on hair follicles.
Thymuskin is used primarily in cases of long-term problems, to treat injured and exhausted hair and scalp and works by reducing the death of hair follicle cells. It improves the supply of nutrients to the cells of the hair root (follicle) during the growth phase (anagen phase). At the same time, it lengthens the hair growth phase. The hair follicles which have remained intact are reactivated, new hairs are formed, and the growth phase is extended.
By targeting these four zones of concern, men are emerging from the shadow of “women only aesthetics” and embracing new advancements in aesthetics to look, feel and live better!
