Male Vanity And Anti-Ageing

A great number of men will say they’re not vain, that they’re ready to age gracefully and let Nature take its course—and yes, most of them are lying through their teeth. Male vanity seems to get a bad rap, reserved for those in show biz or those who have careers where appearance is paramount; but the inescapable truth is we all don’t really want to age, have double chins or turkey necks, have blotchy, age-lined skin, wrinkles, or crow’s feet. We even curse our spare tires. We just don’t like to admit it.

Me, I carry a Senior card now, and I play tennis most mornings on an outdoor court to get some rays along with the exercise. But I have to concede that as I’ve gotten older, it’s been a losing battle with gravity, with ageing, with creaky knees and aching bones. And when it comes to my vanity, I will draw the line with invasive procedures—I’ve avoided them so far. But if science and technology have created relatively painless, non-invasive procedures to help me defy ageing, even just a little bit; I’m all for it and sign me up! 

So rather than rely on media releases, or the literature, and writing about what’s out there, I decided to have a Thermage session at Facial Care Centre over the weekend, and report on the experience. I can’t vouch for the results right now, as they say it normally takes two to three months for the results to be evident. But the great thing about Thermage, is that they recommend you do it only once a year. It’s basically an RF heat-treatment, but sophisticated in such a way that it’s more focussed and intense than your regular RF protocols. 

After a thorough cleansing of the face, a grid is taped on to your face, similar to mapping; and then the Thermage machine comes into play. It’s bursts of RF coursed through the applicator that’s pressed against your facial skin, and systematically applied through all points that have been mapped out—from the forehead, to the side of your face, the cheek area, your chin and neck; and these passes are repeated some four times per side of the face.

Quite often, they’ll work on one side, and stop to show you how some improvement has already been achieved when you compare the treated side to the untreated side. There’s even an option of having a specific Thermage session for the eye area, to tighten the skin and reduce eye bags.

Smoothening lines, reducing wrinkles, improving your skin elasticity and tautness; these are the promises of Thermage. To be frank, there are moments when I would twinge, feeling the heat of the RF burst; but examining my face after, there were no signs of burns or scalding, so I guess that’s just the sensation felt. And yes, the doctors said it seems it’s us men who have a lower pain threshold. Well, what can you expect, we don’t give birth, or suffer from menstrual cramps on a monthly basis; so of course we'll be less impervious to pain.

I know a lot of money has been expended nowadays on the marketing of Ultherapy, so of course I asked what the difference was between Thermage and Ultherapy. And from the reply I was getting, if I read between the lines, it seems it’s more a matter of branding, which company is producing which machine; and essentially, they’re the same. 

More often than not, Thermage is recommended to those in their mid-40s, so there’s a preventive aspect to the treatment. And some even start younger, using it for contouring and making your cheekbones more prominent. I'm hoping that three months from now, I can say that investing in that session of 60 minutes helped improve my skin condition, and alleviate my ageing woes.

Lead images from For Men Philippines and Facial Care Centre on Instagram