March 19, 2012
‘Brotox’ Becoming Staple, Not Trend
More than 300,000 men were injected with Botox in 2011, reports the American Society of Plastic Surgery, a 10-percent increase from 2010.
The ASPS also said the filler’s popularity has increased 258 percent since 2000.
Doctors are terming this increasingly popular procedure “Bro-tox.”
Urban Dictionary amusingly defines the practice as “Botox when used on a straight male, usually something he doesn’t want you to know about,” and, “Some men use to prevent or erase wrinkles, while others use it to improve their impassive poker face.”
Botox is becoming as hot an item for men as sports tickets, car equipment and gadgets. They have reasoned that they like their younger-looking selves, particularly on the forehead and around the eyes.
“They’ll inject the Botox to soften up this look to just give a more approachable appearance, so in business it helps,” said Miami-based plastic surgeon Dr. Constantino Mendieta. “It helps them too in the bars when they’re trying to meet the girls.”
Some men just want to put their best face forward (pun intended), 40-something men trying to pick up 20-something women notwithstanding.
“I’m getting up there in age a little bit,” 38-year-old Scott Gass told the Tampa Bay Times. “Unfortunately, lines come. I just want to look my best.”
Using a doctor to erase and postpone wrinkles might still be slightly embarrassing for some, but Botox, the most popular filler, is constantly being tweaked to give a more and more natural look. The injections also barely hurt, even to the most sensitive-skin person.
“I’ve popped zits that hurt more than that,” Evan Lo Balbo, a Brotox believer, told GMA. “It wasn’t bad at all.”
Like Lo Balbo, men are becoming increasingly at ease with the idea of using medical procedures to improve their looks.
“Today’s man is evolving,” said Image Lift founder Dr. Richard Castellano. “Guys are feeling more comfortable with improving their appearance. They aren’t as scared.”
While men are becoming more and more akin to the idea Botox, women are decreasing their use of Botox, albeit slightly. Female use is down one percent in 2011 from 2010, from 65 percent to 64 percent, as the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedure for women older than 35, according to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery (AAFPCS).
In 2011, Botox reigned as the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedure for men and women of all ages.
