Men warming up to personal grooming

Johannesburg – Men have long embraced the art of personal grooming, but more and more are now requesting treatments including full-body hair removal either by waxing or laser, as well as having fabulous brows and lashes.

Ilhaam Abrahams, co-owner of Skin and Body Clinic in Lenasia, south of Jozi, says traditional ideas of how men should look and behave have long given way to modern and progressive approaches to male aesthetic enhancements As a result of demand, says Abrahams, the Skin and Body Man component of the clinic was established three years ago.

“The clinic had been in existence for 22 years and the motivation for starting it was to bring world-class services and treatments closer to communities where the demand for such services was high,” says Abrahams.


“Thorough market research was done before establishing the clinic. The male division was launched three years ago exclusively to cater for men and their particular grooming requirements.”

Haircut. PICTURE: PINTEREST

The treatments offered to men range from professional barbering, haircuts, shaving, waxing, indulgent facial treatments, laser hair removal, manicures, pedicures, back cleansing, eyebrow treatments, lash lifts and wedding packages for the groom and his party.

Male grooming. PICTURE: PINTEREST

Abrahams says the waxing and laser hair removal treatments are very popular with full-body laser hair removal being the favourite, adding that this includes intimate areas.

Waxing removes hair from the root, and although it takes a while to grow back, it often results in painful ingrown hairs. Mayo clinic describes laser removal as a concentrated beam of light (laser) to remove the unwanted hair.

The laser emits a light that is absorbed by the pigment (melanin) in the hair.

Shaving. PICTURE: PINTEREST

The light energy is then converted to heat, which damages the tube-shaped sacs within the skin or hair follicles that produce hairs.


This damage inhibits or delays future hair growth and is said to be more permanent than waxing.

Like women, men require more than one session to completely rid the body of unwanted hair.

Athlete Wayde van Niekerk at the clinic

Abrahams says the amount of sessions varies according to factors such as hair growth cycles, thickness and density of hair. He recommend three to five sessions per area.

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