Male Problems

Celebrities David Beckham and Brad Pitt have revolutionized the way society views male grooming and in fact, have made the concept of male grooming accepted and even a natural way of life. Lintesh Jose, Spa Trainer at Body and Soul Health Club and Spa agrees and reinforces, “Today,men want to look younger and are concerned about their skin’s appearance. In fact, recently there has been a surge of interest in men’s skin care, with more men today concerned about taking care of their skin and hair.”

Issues

Some problems that occur in men with increasing age, says Dr. Nirmala Markandeya, Specialist Dermatologist at GMC Hospital are wrinkles, age spots (lentigenes), and sagging kin. “There are two types of skin aging that occurs, namely chronological aging and photo aging,” she says. “Chronological aging differs from person-to-person with great influence of the genetic makeup of the individual.” However, photo aging occurs over time due to exposure to sun light which can cause early wrinkling and increased incidence of skin cancers. Another common problem in men is an increase in androgenetic alopecia (hair loss.) Also as men have oilier and thicker skin, she explains that men’s cleansing and moisturizing products will differ slightly from women’s products. “Men prefer
soap bars to cleansing lotions and this should be used twice daily to remove sebum, dead skin cells,
bacteria and dirt,” she says with toning as the next step to remove excess sebum. “Moisturizing is the
third step to minimize the barrier damage induced by cleansing,” she says.

Shaving

With most men shaving nearly daily, razor burn,indicates Jose, is a very common problem affecting the male clientele visiting the Spa. “Approximately 25 percent of all men experience some form of razor burn,” he says. The treatment, adds Dr.Markandeya is topical antibiotic and steroid combination for two to three days depending on the severity. When shaving, Jose reminds men to remember to ‘go with the grain; “Shave in the direction your hair grows; facial hair grows downward on the cheeks, straight out on the chin, downward below the jawbone, and upward along the lower neck
and usually below the Adam’s apple,” he says. “Also giving the skin a break from the razor periodically
and washing the affected areas with an antibacterial soap in the meantime, will usually end the inflammation.” And at times, shaving more frequently but with a lighter touch can help prevent
ingrown hair and this applies especially to young men whose beards are just coming in. “Preparing to
shave is also important—ensure your skin is softened with warm water or towels and is wet from
tap water or the shower,” he says and never apply foam or soap to a dry surface. “Also ensure your
razor is sharp as a dull razor blade will make the problem worse or yet, make an effort to use a new
razor blade every time you shave,” he says

Ingrown hair

These are also called Pseudofolliculitis Barbae; Dr. Markandeya says are basically when tightly curled hair curves back into the skin when shaved and this causes red boils and pus boils. “Prevention includes using electric razors which are less likely to irritate than razor blades and/or using a single or double blade,” she says and avoid a multi blade razor. She also advises to avoid shaving too closely it is better to leave a little growth in order to avoid ingrown hair and to shave in the direction that the hair grows, not against the grain. “Also use a moisturizer after shaving,” she says.

Hair Transplantation

Hair loss no longer needs to be a part of any man’s life, tells specialist plastic surgeon Dr Sanjay Parashar, with the help of hair transplantation. “Hair transplantation is an outpatient procedure done under local anesthesia where the patient goes home the same day,” he says. “Ideal candidates are individuals with male pattern baldness, hair line recession or
patchy loss of hair.”

Using a Water Purifier

British expat Alex Leonard from Sharjah says he has lived in UAE for the past 20 years. He was advised to use a water filter on the family shower head to filter out chlorine and other chemicals by his dermatologist. “I have been using a water filer now for the past one year by H2O Pure Blue. It has made a tremendous difference not only to my hair but my wife and children’s hair and
even skin. My hair is definitely falling less and my wife has had remarkable hair growth with thicker and shinier hair. This is something I would recommend to anyone, living anywhere, not just UAE,” he says.

Facts about H2O Pure Blue Water Purifier:

Using a shower purifier is one of the easiest and most effective ways to
reduce harmful exposure to chlorine and other chemicals. It removes 90 percent and more of Chlorine and
Heavy Metals in the water and goes to work immediately, softening and purifying your water as it removes
chlorine, iron, hydrogen sulphide and unwanted odors.

Removing chlorine from showering water reduces the presence of skin rashes and the appearance of
wrinkles. Because the hair is able to preserve its natural moisturizing oils, it becomes softer and healthier when chlorine is removed from showering water.

Techniques

Follicular Unit Strip (FUS)
The technique for FUS is done under local anesthesia in which a strip of hair bearing skin is removed from the back of the head, explains Dr Parashar. “Then this donor area is sutured and under magnification, hair follicles are removed from the strip,” he says with each graft containing approximately one to two hair follicles. After slivering and preparation of the grafts, the recipient area is anaesthetized, he says and then using special slits, micro-holes are created, bearing in mind the style required and the direction of hair growth. “And then these individual follicles/ grafts are inserted into the holes,” says Dr. Parashar. “Up to 3000 hair grafts can be implanted in one session which may last up to eight hours.” The result is hair growth in the area and for patients with front line recession as this yields significant difference in their frontal and profile view.
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
After the back of the head is shaved, the patient is administered local anesthesia. “Individual follicles are harvested using 0.8 millimetre to 1.2 millimetre punches without incising the skin,” he says and sometimes an automated machine is used to harvest the grafts and then these grafts are inserted in the preformed holes like in FUS technique. “Up to 2000 grafts can be harvested and implanted however the session may be lengthy or can be conducted in stages,” he says. “It can take six to eight hours for a session and the hair may take 36 months for complete growth.” An individual may require repeat sessions if the patient requests more improvement or density or has other areas of baldness. “Patients require pain medications for two to three days on a continuous basis followed by as and when necessary and most can return to work within two to three days,” he says though they may have to wear a cap to protect the area. Wound healing can take 7 to10 days and any visible sign such as crusting and scabbing is removed in 5 to 8 days.