Trending on your face right now are medi-spa treatments for summer that go beyond ardent skin care.
By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Gay men want to look our best at any age. An increasing number of us are accepting a little help from non-invasive beauty treatments that are a far cry from full-on surgery with a less intimidating requirement of just a little pinch or poke.
You want others to admire your great skin and youthful appearance, not your overdone or frozen face. Think of the summer-skin rejuvenations like tequila shots: Only the ones that are right for you, because after too many, you start looking nothing like yourself!
Botox
Botox – jokingly called ‘brotox’ for men – is by far the most common treatment for guys this summer. The method is proven and effective. A few precise injections make your facial muscles release their hold on wrinkles. Be careful, because it’s easy and much too common to overdo it. Less really is more.
Rethink what you thought you knew. Fillers are much more than a Kardashian pout. Most guys have no need for enhanced cheekbones or lips anyway, but fillers can plump sunken areas and smooth deep lines, like at the corners of the mouth or on your forehead.
CoolSculpting
It’s all the rage because it painlessly melts away unwanted fat from problem areas like abdomen, lower back and lower chest. The treatment works by freezing fat cells, which then crystallize and break down through your digestion process. CoolSculpting results aren’t instantaneous, but by the end of summer, you can up to 25 percent fat reduction.
Lasers
Beauty zap! A laser beam directed at your skin fractions into many smaller beams that burn microscopic holes. Your skin reacts by kicking into healing overdrive. The result looks more even and smooth, and even better, the effect improves over time because extra collagen is produced to protect the skin.
Ultherapy
A lift without going under the knife, Ultrasound stimulates deep skin layers to produce collagen that reactivates the springs in your skin’s mattress. It’s great for jowls and chin, and can be used on droopy eyelids or neck skin. Now, while ultrasound sounds nice and relaxing, it’s fairly painful, so ask for painkillers before you start.
IPL
Intense Pulsed Light is perfect for someone with pigmentation spots or visible capillaries. The light catches the dark spots and burst blood vessels and diminishes their appearance. Each pulse feels like a quick, moderately painful pinch in the skin followed by heat, but the results are instantaneous.
DIY Beauty Mask
IlluMask is an at-home treatment that uses red and blue light to reduce redness and inflammation. Yes, you will look a little like Iron Man, but that’s kinda cool actually, right? The company is currently revamping its site so you can buy the lit up mask online, but you may also get lucky in Walgreens or Target. illumask.com.
