| "Mirror,
Mirror on the wall. Who's the fairest of them all?"
 Listen
up and take a glance around, guys. It's not just Snow White's wicked stepmother
(or that foxy Pamela Lee look-alike you saw bouncing down the street the
other day) who's pondering that question anymore.
These days, as more and more males are heading to plastic surgeons and
dermatologists, it's likely to be your best drinking buddy, your Monday
night football-watching pal or even the buffed-out, lady-killing dude
standing next to you in the gym, who's gazing admiringly at his reflection
in the looking glass.
Men
are just as concerned about their appearance as women. It's about time
to admit it. In fact, you're so vain, you probably think this article
is about you. (Don't you? Don't you?)
In his book "For Men Only: Looking Your Best Through Science, Surgery,
and Common Sense (William Morrow & Co.), Dr. Gerald Imber, a well-known
New York plastic surgeon, who counts names from Hollywood, Broadway and
various Political circles among his image-conscious clients, writes, "the
simple truth is that men are every bit as vain as women."
Imber, whose clients are 30% male and range in age from 30 to 55, adds,"The
standards against which we judge ourselves may be different, but the basic
instinct is the same. Gray hair and smile lines have a different significance
and may not be as disturbing, but we, too, stare at the mirror. We may
do our staring with the door closed, but stare we do."
Many men have come out of the closet about their once-secret obsession
with looking good. And though there is a growing market for skin care
and surgical procedures (the most popular, according to Imber, being liposuction
to get rid of love handles and correction for turkey necks and double
chins), most men haven't fallen prey to the cult of cosmetics.
What men should, but often don't know, though, is how the male harmone,
testosterone, effects the way they look.
For example, did you know that your testosterone level has long - and
short-term effects on your skin and hair? Most men have a normal level
of testosterone (the main male hormone that stimulates the development
of secondary sex characteristics such as hair growth and the deepening
of the voice). Testosterone production begins at puberty and reaches its
peak during the late teen years. "Testosterone starts decreasing
in the 20s," says Imber. "Then after 40 or 45, it really starts
to decline."
According to Imber, it's probable that a drop in testosterone coincides
with some loss of sex drive. Studies have shown that when there is a drop
in testosterone there usually is also a drop in the level of human growth
hormone. "They both have the same effect," says Imber. "The
presence of growth hormone and testosterone increases lean muscle mass,
increases muscle strength, increases bone density and generally makes
you stronger and healthier in every way." The question is, which
of the two hormones are really responsible for these developments? Is
it testosterone or is it growth hormone? Or are they so inter-related
that you can't separate them?
What has been found, according to Imber, is that if you take someone with
a low level of testosterone and give them more testosterone, the level
of growth hormone goes up. "For general well- being, over the years,
of the skin and its underlying tissue," he says, "if you have
growth hormone, your skin looks better and you are better in general."
One of the side effects of increased testosterone production is the powerful
stimulation of the sebaceous glands, which leads to problems with acne
and oily skin. "Too much of a good thing can have negative side effects,"
says Dr. David Bank, director of the Center of Dermatology, Cosmetic and
Laser Surgery in Mt. Kisko, New York. Acutane, a Vitamin A derivative,
which normalizes the skin's oil output, is one of the treatments that
Bank suggests for his patients. "I've treated over 4,000 patients
with Acutane and have gotten amazing results," he says.
Both doctors agree that there are no studies that show that lack of testosterone
alone makes skin age but it's very likely that the two are related. The
skin's ability to produce collagen and retain moisture is reduced when
testosterone goes down, and probably is increased with an increase of
the testosterone level.
Could this mean that the skin can be rejuvenated simply by injecting testosterone?
At this point it's all hypothetical. "It's never gone that far,"
Imber says. "But testing has been done on people who have been found
to have very decreased testosterone levels." The reason that so little
testing has been done is that there are questions about injected testosterone's
possible harmful side effects on the cardiovascular system.
Growth hormone, on the other hand, has been tested. "There are adherents
to the principle of augmenting growth hormone, among scientists,"
Imber says. "Some people really believe in it."
So, what can be done to maintain healthy skin and hair regardless of your
current testosterone level? "The steps you can take to maintain your
skin without putting yourself at risk is the early use of oral anti-oxidants
and using sunblock and that sort of thing," says Imber. And, he adds,
"It's best not to constantly gain and loose weight." Bank agrees.
"Guys shouldn't overlook nutrition and a well-balanced diet. he says.
"Studies show that taking vitamins once a day goes a long way."
What does Dr. Bank recommend? "Two and one-half milligrams of Biotin
per day will definitely increase hair growth."
On this point, Imber disagrees. "Nothing makes your hair grow back,"
he counters. "Some of these compounds that are now coming out such
as Propecia, which is kind of a male sex hormone blocker that's used to
shrink the prostate, work in people under 40, who have hair loss."
According to Imber, Propecia stops hair loss in about 80% of these people
by blocking the male hormone receptors in the scalp. But that only works
in young people. "With older people, there is no evidence that it
works at all. Is it because there is a low level of testosterone so there's
nothing left to block? We don't yet know the answer."
What doctors do know is that there are medical advances on the horizon
that will stop skin aging. These procedures involve gene alteration, Imber
explains. "There is tail on the end of every chromosome called a
telemere. Every time a cell divides, a little piece of the telemere drops
off until there's no telemere left. When there's no telemere left, the
cell can't divide anymore and the organ, whatever it is, dissipates and
dies. The skin is one of those organs. There's turnover and turnover,
and pretty soon there's no telemere left and the cell can't divide anymore.
This causes the skin to age and wrinkle, because it can't produce new
cells and fresh collagen.
"There
are now gene alteration procedures that can stop the breaking of the telemere.
The addition of something called Telemerate actually keeps the cells dividing
forever. One of the first places that this is going to be applied is to
the skin. That's the future."
Who knows, Guys. If we're not there yet, perhaps we've close to finding
the fountain of youth -- inside a tiny cell.
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Ricky Lee is a New York based writer noted for his
in-depth beauty and fashion features in leading publications including InStyle,
Vanity Fair, Allure, Interview, Vogue, Rolling Stone and Elle Décor.
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