Gone are the days when cosmetics and beauty products were found only for women. Men require more care as compared to women because men´s skin is more oils and prone to dehydration. The skin of men is also rich in collagen and elastin that makes the skin more resistant to the harmful effects of sun rays and other environmental factors. But with the age the skin becomes thin and the level of collagen decreases that tends to loose elasticity and firmness of the skin.

Today many men are moving towards fashion world giving way to improve their overall look. Earlier men had limited resources of facial touch up like shaving cream, soap, after shave and cream but now a host of skin care products for men are available in the market. The most widely used products are moisturizer, cleansers, face and body wash, scrubs, exfoliants and night renewal cream.

Skin care for men has become the latest trend and a serious issue especially in tropical country like India. People in India suffer the most because of the extreme climatic conditions and exposure to harmful ultra violet rays. These two are the major sources of skin damage. To avoid skin damage and prevent other skin ailments it is very essential to use sun screen lotions with an SPF factor of 15. Sun screen also prevents cancer and premature age.

More and more men are moving towards skin care professionals and dermatologist to reveal a complete new and outstanding look. These skin care professionals give skin care tips for men and a prescription of various lotions to apply. Some of the cosmetics are pure and natural and are free from preservatives and chemicals. These natural beauty products may be organic or inorganic. Organic beauty products comprises of pure, natural and organic materials that are both people and environment friendly. Some of the major ingredients include zinc oxide, walnut oil, beeswax, titanium dioxide, aloe vera, menthanol, whole wheat protein, caprlic, mica, lactic acid, eucalyptus oil, tocopherol, arnica and red vine extract. Organic skin care for men is the best solution to combat any skin damage like acne, scars, wrinkles, and aging.

Along with the application of natural organic cosmetic it is also essential to have a balanced diet for a glowing and youthful skin. Like women, men also require the right quantity of vitamins and minerals to enhance the resistant power of the skin and to avoid acne, wrinkles, aging, and other skin diseases. The most important vitamins required to have a great skin are Vitamin C and E, Vitamin B Complex, Vitamin K and Vitamin E.

The best skin care for men is nothing but a well balanced diet.

Exercise has also proved to be beneficial for a healthy skin. Regular exercise using fitness equipments help you to maintain a good shape and sound body.

Controversial new procedures in cosmetic medicine, like genital rejuvenation or buttock implant surgery, tend to take hold on the West or East Coasts and then move inland. But, during the last two years, a procedure called lipodissolve, which uses injections of a drug compound to target unwanted fat deposits, has captured the attention of thousands of cosmetic patients in Missouri and Kansas. 

“Two years ago, nobody in St. Louis had heard of it,” said Laurie Calzada, a petite blond self-help author who last year completed a series of anti-fat shots on her outer thighs and abdomen. “But now lipodissolve is practically a household word.” 

Anti-fat injections are one of the most hotly debated procedures in cosmetic medicine because they are spreading faster than the science behind them. Unlike mesotherapy, a process that entails superficially injecting vitamins and other substances into the skin, lipodissolve involves deeper injections of a compound drug that is supposed to break down cells in the fatty layer under skin. 

But the Food and Drug Administration has not approved any drug to be used cosmetically in anti-fat injections. Neither the drug formula used in lipodissolve nor the method of treatment is standardized. And researchers disagree whether the shots eliminate fat cells, or merely liquefy fat so that it shifts around in the body, raising the possibility of long-term consequences such as the aggravation of heart disease. 

Still, Ms. Calzada, who heard about the procedure from her gynecologist who tried it for his love handles, said that she did not mind being an early adopter. Ms. Calzada went to a medical office in St. Louis, then called the Advanced LipoDissolve Center , which specializes in the injections. She was so pleased with the results that she spread the word to at least 50 friends and acquaintances, she said. 

But some regulators and local doctors have issued warnings about lipodissolve, arguing that such anti-fat shots lack the kind of rigorous prospective clinical research that would prove their safety and efficacy. In an effort to collect some hard data, Dr. V. Leroy Young, a plastic surgeon here, said he had just received permission from the F.D.A. to conduct a small clinical study of one of the drug mixtures. In Kansas, the board of medicine last month tried to ban injections of the same drug compound after receiving complaints from consumers, but a judge last week stayed the restrictions after a petition from lipodissolve providers. 

“These are unapproved drugs for unapproved uses and we can’t guarantee consumers’ safety,” said Karen Riley, an F.D.A. spokeswoman. 

But the agency does permit doctors on an individual-patient basis to prescribe a compounded drug, formulated with ingredients from approved drugs and made by a licensed compounding pharmacy. That is how providers of lipodissolve obtain their mixtures. 

Doctors said anti-fat shots often contain a compound of approved drug ingredients known as PCDC, which includes a phospholipid called phosphatidylcholine and a bile acid called deoxycholate. A drug containing PCDC called Lipostabil is approved in Germany as an intravenous medication to treat blood vessels blocked by fat embolisms. In Britain, where the drug is not licensed, it has been marketed for cosmetic anti-fat injections under the name Flabjab. 

The fight over lipodissolve raging in Missouri and Kansas represents one small skirmish in the battle among regulators, doctors and medical entrepreneurs to control the explosive growth of cosmetic medicine and to set standards for scientific proof of efficacy and safety.  Read the rest of this entry »