Amid the rapid popularization of botulinum toxin for cosmetic procedures, the number of men who have the procedure is also increasing, data showed.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 260,000 botulinum toxin treatments were performed on men in 2020. The situation in Korea is reportedly similar.
"The share of male patients visiting hospitals for botulinum toxin treatments is increasing, and there is a noticeable growth in the number of regular male visitors who are receiving the treatment as consistently as women," said Cheong Hye-won, director of Lourdes Notre Dame, a plastic surgery clinic in Busan.
According to Jung, the most common areas for male botulinum toxin treatment are the upper facial wrinkles, such as frown lines and crow's feet at the corner of the eyes. This is because men have thicker skin and greater facial muscle movement than women, so their wrinkles are deeper and darker, Cheong added.
Botulinum toxin treatment in men is relatively safe and straightforward, but it is still a medical procedure. In other words, it is important to use a product that has been proven to be effective, safe, and satisfactory, she noted
AbbVie, the maker of Botox, the leading botulinum toxin product, conducted many clinical trials in male subjects.
For example, in a clinical study of adult males, Botox showed a significantly higher upper face wrinkle reduction rate after 30 days of treatment -- 98.2 percent with maximally raised eyebrows and 93.3 percent with no facial movements – significantly higher than the placebo group (3.3 percent and 15.4 percent), and the response rate lasted for about six months.
Longer-lasting results were also seen in frown lines and crow's foot wrinkles, a priority for men. Botox showed lasting effects of four and five months for frown lines and crow’s foot, remaining effective even after repeated treatments for an average of 9.1 years. Such results also showed continuous and gradual improvement with the second and third repeated treatments with the interval of 120 days or four months.
"Male patients tend to have more trust in hospitals and doctors and are more willing to undergo long-term procedures when there is a good explanation of the scientific and numerical evidence," Cheong said. “Male patients show similar characteristics in choosing medicines and equipment, including lasers.”
Given these trends, it may be helpful for male patients to choose a product with sufficient clinical data to achieve improved results and satisfaction with their frown and crow's feet, which are the main areas of concern, she added.
Men who used a clinically evidenced BTX product also showed higher post-treatment satisfaction.
In a satisfaction survey of male patients treated with BTX, the BTX group was more satisfied than the placebo group at all time points measured at 30, 60, and 180 days post-treatment, with 81.8 percent (30 days, 60 days) and 75.5 percent (180 days) satisfaction rates.
There was also a numerical improvement of at least 3 points compared to the placebo group on the psychological impact scale, which measures the perception of looking older or less attractive after treatment.
Besides, post-treatment perceptions of BTX patients showed that 89.7 percent reported looking younger than their current age after treatment, and eight out of 10 patients who switched from BTX to other products returned to BTX. The most common reason for returning to BTX was dissatisfaction with its short duration.
"For regular and long-term BTX treatment, it is important to make the right choice at the first treatment, tolerance, sufficient explanation of side effects, and satisfaction with the treatment results," Cheong said. "Rather than simply using the product's price as the basis for selection, it is helpful to select the number of treatments, dose, and area through sufficient consultation with an experienced specialist and to use a product with confirmed effectiveness and safety accordingly to achieve the desired results."