Men’s Skincare and Cosmetic Treatments: What Actually Works
Men's Skincare and Cosmetic Treatments: What Actually Works
Skincare marketing has spent decades talking almost exclusively to women. So a lot of men either skip skin health altogether, or assume none of it applies to them. Neither is quite right.
Men's skin genuinely is structurally different. And that difference actually matters for which treatments make sense, and when.
How Men's Skin Actually Differs
According to Dr Ivan Camacho, a dermatologist from the University of Miami, the dermis in men is around 20% thicker than in women. Men also start out with higher collagen density.
The catch: men's skin thins earlier as a result. Women's skin thickness tends to stay steady until menopause, then decline more sharply.
A few other differences Dr Camacho points to: men produce roughly four times more sebum, sweat around 30% more, and have greater sensitivity to UV radiation. Men also tend to lose facial volume more noticeably with age, showing up as sinking or hollowing rather than the fine surface wrinkling more common in women.
Almost twice as many men as women die from melanoma each year in Australia, according to Cancer Council Australia. Men are also less likely to regularly use sunscreen or seek shade in peak UV hours.
What Men Actually Come In For
The concerns we see most from male patients cluster around a handful of things, rather than a broad skincare overhaul.
- Laser hair removal, particularly for the back, chest and beard neckline. Dr Camacho notes it's become one of the most common non-surgical cosmetic treatments men seek out, as traditional methods like shaving and waxing are only ever temporary.
- Excessive sweating, medically known as hyperhidrosis, a genuine condition rather than just an inconvenience. A review in Dermatologic Clinics estimates around 2.8% of the US population is affected, and a separate large-scale German study found male gender was actually a predictor of hyperhidrosis. Our MiraDry treatment addresses this directly.
- Mole and skin tag checks and removal, especially given the higher UV sensitivity and skin cancer risk noted above. We use Surgitron RF for precise removal.
- Sun damage and pigmentation checks, particularly for men with a lot of outdoor work or lifestyle sun exposure over the years.
- A "tired" or hollowed appearance, which as noted above is more often a volume story for men than a wrinkle one.
Fine Lines, Wrinkles and Volume Loss in Men
As Dr Camacho's research points out, men are more likely to be "sinkers" than "wrinklers". They lose facial volume more noticeably than they develop fine surface wrinkling. It's a genuinely different mechanism, covered in more detail on our facial volume loss page.
Men's thicker skin and stronger underlying muscles can also mean deeper expression lines where they do occur. That's covered on our fine lines and wrinkles page. Either way, a proper assessment is the only reliable way to know which mechanism is actually behind what you're noticing.
Our Approach
Dr Hung Nguyen (AHPRA registration MED0001176347) assesses male patients the same way he assesses every patient: with a proper clinical consultation first, not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Given the structural differences outlined above, particularly around volume loss and skin cancer risk, that individual assessment matters just as much for men as anyone else, if not more.
Worth knowing: because men are more prone to skin cancers and typically pay less attention to sun protection, a skin check is often a genuinely useful starting point, even if the original reason for booking was purely cosmetic.
Gynaecomastia: A Different Conversation
Gynaecomastia, the enlargement of male breast tissue, is a separate category of concern entirely, and one that's surgical rather than something addressed with devices or injectables. It can result from a range of causes, including hormonal changes, certain medications, and some medical conditions, which is why proper assessment matters before any treatment decision is made.
Dr Peter Tran (AHPRA registration MED0001668228) assesses candidacy for surgical correction on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the underlying cause, the amount and type of tissue involved, and the patient's overall health and goals. You can find more detail on our gynaecomastia page.
Ready to Talk It Through?
Whether it's hair removal, sweating, sun damage or a general skin check, a proper consultation is the best place to start. Get in touch to book a consultation with our team.
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Further Reading
Cancer Council Australia (2022): research on melanoma mortality and sun-protection habits by gender in Australia.
Camacho (2013), Dermatology News / MDedge, reported from the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting: structural and functional differences between men's and women's skin relevant to cosmetic treatment.
Moraites & Hill (2014), Dermatologic Clinics: review of hyperhidrosis incidence and prevalence.