Mr You are looking a million dollars

With the male beauty and grooming industry reportedly worth over a billion dollars in the UK alone, Steven Smith asks a team of experts what men are doing to look their very best. From Baby Botox to intimate waxing, and even microblading (semi permeant make-up), you will be surprised what lengths men go to in order to look a million dollars.

MR JEYA PRAKASH

Mr Jeya Prakash is a London based Cosmetic and Reconstructive Plastic surgeon, an Age Management Consultant, as well as a skin and scar specialist with over three decades of experience. His knowledge and understanding of the factors behind skin ageing are based on extensive experience and research in epigenetic aspects of skin, its biochemistry and physiology. He has a large celebrity clientele that includes several Miss World contestants. Mr Prakash also has a practice in Chennai, India.

Mr Parakash outlined: At least 35 percent of our business is taken up by men now. With the birth of the selfies and even the tough guys in movies being well-groomed, men are keen to look younger, fitter and more desirable than ever. We see all sorts of men come through our door, from city bankers, actors and models, but what might surprise you is how many regular guys want to have treatments. Some are initially coached by their partners, but over the last few years, men are not as shy about making themselves look their best by using aesthetics and cosmetic surgery.

Number one treatment for men is Baby Botox. It has become very popular among actors and actresses who don’t want to lose their facial character. Botox should only be performed by a professional as they need to look at your face to enhance and soften your features.

Men and woman are afraid of leaving the clinic, and the first question someone asks is “What have you had done?” The ultimate compliment is when a client leaves me, and someone says to them that they are looking really well or asking have they been on holiday, or even saying they look younger.

Botox is also very popular for politicians and suit-wearing city men who do not want unsightly underarm sweat. A few jabs under the arms can keep you looking fresh.

Facelifts on men is like art, and it has to be bespoke to suit the induvial male face. Often men can opt for other treatments before taking the plunge for surgery. Male clients benefit for the lifting and refreshing treatment, Radiuses – a derma filler to contour and define the face. The effects seem to last up to 18 months to a year and are almost instant and will get better over the following few weeks as it works with your own natural collagen and elastin, so your skin stays firm.

TRACIE GILES

Tracie Giles is a global leader in Permanent Makeup, Microblading & Aesthetics. With her a team of world-class international technicians, Fast forward to 2020 and Tracie Giles London is the pinnacle of excellence and celebrity choice for Permanent Makeup & Aesthetics, featuring weekly in the press and dedicated to delivering beautiful results.

An ever-increasing number of men are now visiting us at Tracie Giles London to have their eyebrows tattooed, and we are able to achieve extremely natural- looking masculine results. As men get older, their eyebrows can become a give-away as they become wiry and thinner loose definition it is a give-away in this often-aged obsessed society

Firstly, our expert technicians will trim and remove any wiry, problem hairs – subtly enhancing the shape of the brows to make them appear more youthful. They can also explain to you how to maintain this shape at home to keep your brows under control. They will then tattoo realistic hair strokes amongst your natural eyebrow hair to add volume and definition. We can use a variety of different techniques and styles to achieve masculine brows, but we recommend our new ‘W’ Brow for men, which is available with our top Director Artists, or the Micro bladed Brow, which uses special flexi laser blades to achieve a more natural result. People may notice you look younger. We also see so many young men coming to us wanting those killer eyebrows, so many movie stars have or just to define them where they are thin or straggly

LIYNH DINH

Liynh Dinh is the General Manager of London’s Trendy Beauty Box, which has a chain of salons. Liynh has over 15 years of experience. She has seen a huge rise in men coming to have manicures and pedicures.

She shared: At first, it was American men that came to us for manicures and pedicures. In the US, even the barbershops have manicurists on hand and men, along with a shoeshine, took equal care of their nails. One American society lady who splits her time between London and New York told me she would not dream of dating a man who had not had a manicure. Now married, her husband has his nails done every two weeks.

British men were a little late to the party and needed more coaxing, but once they experience a manicure and pedicure, there is no stopping them coming back. Now 30 percent of our business is male-dominated.

I tell women clients that if they want their man to have a manicure, buy him one the first time or get him in for a pedicure. Men love having their feet soaked in warm water and massaged. Later you can suggest a manicure. We have a saying: “If he is a beer drinker, he won’t want it done. If he is a wine drinker, he’s a sure in.”

We have also had a huge increase in men wanting polish on their nails. I do not mean pinks and reds, but clear in colour and a shiny top coat polish. Men also love black, and even the clear semi-permanent Shellack that lasts two weeks and makes the nails look so shiny and clean. This is popular with hairdressers, croupiers and anyone who’s hands are on display. We have also seen a huge rise in waxing for men and eyebrow shaping.