As Botox treatments and other non-surgical aesthetic treatments have become more widely available and are often used more frequently but less intensely, more people have given some form of cosmetic treatment a try.
Whilst the rise of the “tweakment” is commonly associated with the 2020s, it has been a gradual trend for the last two decades, and as the focus of aesthetic treatments has moved away from substantial transformations and closer to a bridge between major treatments and daily skincare routines.
Because of this, as well as the lower prices that less intense treatments cost, a lot more people are trying aesthetic treatments for the first time and a surprisingly large proportion of these new patients are men.
The rise of so-called ‘brotox’ treatments began in the early 2000s, with an increase of over 180 per cent between then and 2020 according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which published a comprehensive list of treatments that have increased and decreased in men.
This is not to say that men have not always had cosmetic treatments, but the focus has changed along with the general attitude about the goals of beauty treatments.
It used to be the case, somewhat regrettably that men and women alike turned to substantial treatments to try and battle signs of ageing, but over the past 20 years, there has been a significant pushback on this attitude towards beauty standards.
The majority of men having ‘brotox’ are in their 20s and 30s and use aesthetic treatments as a way to create a personal style in a similar way to how a haircut shapes and frames their face and their look.
For other men, it is a matter of prevention; rather than wait until their middle ages and rely on much more substantive treatments, small tweaks and top-ups have become increasingly preferred as an option.