Saving face: Men discover Botox, cosmetic tricks

January  2005

After turning 36, Sean, a Mansfield salesman, made the decision: He scheduled a Botox injection.

Although he felt he ``looks pretty good for my age,'' he wanted to remove lines around his eyes to keep ``a fresh, young look.'' Why? He says appearance is vital to staying competitive in sales.

Sean, who preferred his last name not be used, joins the increasing number of men getting quicker, cheaper and less-invasive cosmetic techniques for professional as well as personal reasons.

Botox, a muscle-paralyzing injection to reduce wrinkles, was the most popular cosmetic procedure for both men and women in 2003, with nearly 334,000 procedures for men and 2.56 million for women, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Men also are opting for chemical peels, microderm abrasions, laser photofacials and wrinkle-reducing Restylane injections to improve facial skin, said Kelly Cirafice, director of Essentially Bare Cosmetic and Laser Clinic in Cambridge.

Such enhancements have ``always appealed to gay guys; it has crossed over to blue-collar and heterosexual men,'' she said.

Her clients include a construction worker who wanted a photofacial to clear up spider veins near his nose in order to boost his self-esteem.

Evangelia D. Souris, president of Optimum International Center for Image Management in Boston, said makeover TV shows have made grooming and self-enhancement more acceptable to men.

Still, Souris said, one of the oldest male concerns seems to outweigh all others: hair loss. Even amid a slew of shaved-head celebrities, ``hair loss for men can be very traumatic,'' she said.

Jack, a 53-year-old Chestnut Hill resident now living in Israel, sought out Souris' advice after a divorce.

``I was balding - I guess you could say not gracefully,'' he said. ``I wanted a new look and new image and hair came as a result of it.''

After a hair transplant, Jack said, he looks 10 years younger and ``with my new self, I'm shell-shocked at how well I'm doing.''