Men are from….. Mars?

Besides the obvious differences between males and females, did you know that there are differences in the structures of the skin as well? Most of these differences are due to the higher levels of testosterone in men. This means that over all men’s skin is thicker and they tend to produce more sebum (oil) than females and it is usually a waxy consistency which means they are also more susceptible to acne.

Acne does not discriminate

Someone who knows all about male adult acne is Alex. Alex suffered from high-grade acne, both on his face and body, which didn’t start to develop until the age of 23. To give you an idea as to the severity of his acne, he would have to change his sheets daily as his skin was so inflamed and infected that the simple action of sheets against his skin would make them bleed and weep during the night. For anyone who has suffered from a breakout, you can imagine how much this would affect your confidence as well as your mental state.

Why not Medicate?

A high dosage of this drug for anyone who is not familiar, comes with a large list of side effects such as; ‘depressed mood, trouble concentrating, sleep problems, crying spells, aggression or agitation, changes in behaviour, hallucinations, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself’

So, as Alex started to hide and his confidence was creeping lower and lower and no skin care was seeming to work, he decided to seek help from his family doctor. From here Alex was prescribed the acne drug accutane. A high dosage of this drug for anyone who is not familiar, comes with a large list of side effects such as; ‘depressed mood, trouble concentrating, sleep problems, crying spells, aggression or agitation, changes in behaviour, hallucinations, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself’. While Alex’s acne was clearing up, he was experiencing all of the mental-health side effects, unfortunately in Alex’s case, he was not aware that these were caused by the drug. It was a difficult period of his life that he is happy to see the other side of.

Manzyme?

Within two weeks, the breakouts had almost completely vanished and the big cystic ones were healing very nicely.

Fast forward 6 years and Skin & Laser meets Alex for the first time. Convinced that his acne is returning, his partner managed to have him visit the clinic for a skin consultation. Alex left the clinic with some basic skin care, with very little faith that it would make difference. Within two weeks, the breakouts had almost completely vanished and the big cystic ones were healing very nicely. Alex says he was so close to trying accutane again, but he is so thankful to have tried some skin care that makes a difference. We are now seeing Alex regularly for his ‘Manzyme’ treatments, focusing on improving the overall health of Alex’s skin, to both prevent future breakouts and to reduce some premature ageing.

Alex wanted to share his experience to encourage more men to seek help for their skin as well as let people know that medication isn’t your only option to clear your skin of pimples.

Make sure to book the man in your life in for our September special ‘Manzyme’, customised to treat all skin conditions, you will be amazed at your skins potential.