Since it's LCM this week - London Collections: Men, to those not used to the acronym. I thought I'd take a look at male vanity, male grooming, "man-tenance" for want of making up a fun term! Male grooming is on the rise - is it the inspiration of dapper gentlement in the likes of cult television shows such as Mad Men, James Bond in his speedos or tuxedo, or the gorgeous David Gandy? It is that men are becoming more clued up on fashion, style and showing more of an interest in having a beauty regime? Men are becoming more vain than women and it's not just me thinking this.
According to a survey from First4lawyers.com, looking good does lead to feeling good but it can also be a rather hazardous past-time. 14 per cent of body-conscious guys suffer for their vanity. Now we've all been there girls, that shaving cut as your hand just slips, cuticle tears, all that eye-brow plucking that can bring a tear to your eye, and I haven't even mentioned "intimate waxing" yet! But the boys suffer too all in the name of vanity. Tanning, hair-dyeing and waxing top the list of treatments that pose the greatest risk with 20 per cent of men sustaining an injury from UV tanning and 16% from a spray tan treatment, followed by hair-dyeing (12%) and eyebrow waxing (13%). Just what those injuries are though I don't know - I'm a little bit intrigued about how a spray tan can cause you an injury!
Alarmingly, men are four times as likely to sustain an injury from using UV tanning beds (20%) than women (5%) and eight times as likely to suffer after a spray tan. This could be explained by the increased numbers of men using tanning salons but without perhaps the same level of knowledge and experience as women when it comes to using them safely. I'd suggest sticking to the spray tan chaps, safer all round in the long run - or just be proud to be pasty like I am most of the time!
The top five treatments in which men have suffered an injury:
UV tanning (20%)
Spray tanning (16%)
Hair cut or dyeing (13%)
Eyebrow waxing or threading (12%)
Leg waxing (10%)
For women hair-dyeing was the biggest offender with 28 per cent sustaining an injury having their hair coloured, followed by leg and bikini waxing (19%) and facials (15%).
The top five treatments in which women have suffered an injury:
Hair cut or dyeing (28%)
Leg or bikini wax (19%)
Facial (15%)
Eyebrow waxing or threading (13%)
Nail extensions (12%)
So I know that all this preening and pampering is usually necessary, and for some of us it is the time we get to spend a bit of time focusing on ourselves and is a rare occurrence. But just be safe with it, employ experts who know what they are doing and probably don't have a glass of wine whilst shaving your legs (girls) or face (boys)!