In partnership with SA’s top medical aesthetic companies
Scars, inflamed acne, signs of ageing, excess hair, lumps and bumps… all of these can leave men feeling uncomfortable in their skin. Luckily, the incredible advances in male skin care treatment technologies in recent years are offering modern men many new ways to effectively treat those unsightly bugbears.
Consider the use of state-of-the-art technology when your problem is beyond the scope of regular skin-care treatment, or if you want really quick results.
Hair removal
Like hairstyles, trends in male body hair wax and wane (pardon the pun). While hairy Magnum PI chests were a hit in the 80s, there’s been a rise in chest and back waxing in recent years. Nowadays there’s even a thing called a “Boyzilian”, where men have their bits totally “defuzzed”, and buttock shaving is also on the rise.
Shaving is only a temporary solution (and who wants a stubbly bum?). It’s time consuming and can cause cuts, razor burn and ingrown hairs. The professional solution is laser hair removal, which keeps you permanently hair-free after a course of treatments.
Cutera laser hair removal not only removes unwanted body hair; it’s very effective if you struggle with ingrown beard hair.
Scarring
Treating scars is the holy grail of skin treatments, and newer technologies are achieving great results. The aim is to break down scar tissue and stimulate skin to regenerate and heal normally. This improves the appearance of scars significantly, making the skin look much smoother and more youthful.
Skin needling with Genop’s Dermapen uses a needle cartridge with multiple needles that oscillate at high speed to pierce the skin perpendicularly. These create controlled “micro-injuries” that stimulate the skin’s self-repair function, destroying old, damaged tissue and encouraging the formation of new, healthy collagen.
The treatment is tailor made to treat acne scars, enlarged pores and environmentally damaged areas. These are smoothed and plumped up as the new collagen is formed over time.
Six to eight treatments are needed and there’s minimal downtime. There may however be some redness for a few hours after treatment.
Ergon’s Laser Genesis treats acne and acne scarring with non-invasive laser technology, safely and effectively improving those conditions by stimulating collagen production, without pain or downtime. It treats redness, large pores, uneven texture and scars, as well as wrinkles and sun damage.
The all-rounder
Carboxytherapy aka Carbon Dioxide Therapy by Radiant Healthcare not only treats scarring; it’s great for acne nodules and cysts, and under-eye circles, and also helps to treat stretch marks, stubborn abdomen fat and sore, stiff muscles. This major breakthrough involves injecting tiny amounts of carbon dioxide under the skin to break down fatty deposits and stimulate collagen production.
Carboxytherapy is safe, minimally invasive, clinically proven – and there’s no downtime.
Blemishes
Skin tags, warts, DPNs (aka Morgan Freeman Spots) and razor bumps can all be made history with the versatile Cutera ND: Yag laser. This long-pulsed laser is suitable for use on all skin types, and an average of 1−4 treatments is required for best results.
Radiant Healthcare’s PDT (Photodynamic Therapy) is great for reducing acne inflammation. This light therapy uses different wavelengths to treat problems. In acne, for instance, red light reduces inflammation and encourages healing, while blue light targets bacteria and reduces infection. It can be used after fractional treatments for wound healing.
Red cheeks and noses
This can be a socially embarrassing problem, as people may interpret it as a sign of overindulgence in alcohol. The reality is that the flushed look may be caused by dilated blood capillaries. The aim is to shrink and eliminate these small blood vessels.
ND: YAG Laser vein removal accurately targets the red pigment in blood, heating it and destroying the tissue. An average of 1−3 treatments is required.
Treating signs of ageing/environmental damage
Sun spots, wrinkling, rough skin texture are all signs of ageing as our skin becomes thinner and underlying sun damage becomes more and more visible. For this reason, we need to look at treatments that resurface and target uneven pigment deposits in the skin.
Ergon’s Limelight is non-invasive laser for environmental damage, which also treats brown marks. An average of 4−6 treatments is required.
Radiant Healthcare’s Titania and Safyre use Radio Frequency to improve the quality of the skin and stimulate collagenesis by heating the adipose tissue. Radio Frequency is used to firm and tighten skin, treating sagging, lines and wrinkles.
The results offered are visible from the first session and are long lasting. It is a non-invasive and painless method suitable for all skin types. With Radio Frequency, we can treat scarring in combination with Microdermabrasion, leading to collagen remodeling. An average of 6−8 treatments is required.
Stiff and sore muscles
Stress, a desk-bound lifestyle, and training without proper stretching can cause our muscles to tense up and ache.
A good therapeutic massage can go a long way toward easing the pain, and once you’ve sorted out the problem, one or two massages a month at Oasis Spa is recommended as a maintenance programme so that you don’t end up with pain again.
Carboxytherapy is also excellent for stiff muscles, and an average of 4−6 treatments is recommended, depending on the severity of the problem.
Take the quick Beyond Beauty Survey and you could win a R2000 Skin Renewal voucher to spend in our online store, with free delivery within South Africa. T&Cs apply.