‘THE KEY IS KEEPING IT SUBTLE’
Igor Kremerov, 47, lives in Swindon with his wife Anna, 43, three kids and a puppy. Working as a senior manager in telecommunications for over 20 years, looking professional and presentable was always important to me. But that came in the form of a fresh haircut and smart suit, not in cosmetic treatments.
Even though my wife, Anna, was a medical aesthetic practitioner, it was never something I’d considered for myself. After all, the majority of her clients were women, wanting fuller pouts and smoothed-out wrinkles. I saw how her procedures impacted her patients. From getting back on the dating scene to making strides at work, a ‘tweakment’ was all they needed to boost their confidence and feel like themselves again. I could see the appeal – but I didn’t consider it myself.
But then, lockdown struck. In March 2020, my once in-person meetings all moved to Zoom calls, and I went from barely a glance at myself in the mirror in the morning to staring at my webcam all day. I’d find myself distracted, picking apart my own imperfections reflected back at me on the screen. I’d never disliked my appearance, and at 45 I was happy to look my age. But I couldn’t help myself examining the lines deepening on my forehead every time I felt stressed, or the dark circles under my eyes.
It wasn’t just me that noticed. Whenever I called my mum in Israel on Zoom, she’d point out the same insecurities I’d noticed. She told me I looked tired, but I wasn’t tired at all, and didn’t want to look as if I was.
When Anna started seeing in-person patients again, I noticed a shift in the sorts of patients she was seeing. More and more men were coming for consultations, for similar complaints to mine. That was the moment I knew: I knew I wanted to give it a go myself.
Anna suggested Botox injections in my upper face, and then a collagen injection called Ellansé in my cheeks.
It took a couple of weeks for me to notice the effects, but I wanted them to be virtually undetectable to anyone else. None of my male friends had ever had cosmetic ‘tweakments’, and I was worried about the reaction I’d get.
But weeks went on, and the only comments I’d get were from people admiring my healthy glow. When I saw my mum a few months later, she said I looked well.
Thankfully, the collagen injection I had is very low maintenance, so I only need to have it topped up every two to three years.
Even though I never thought these treatments were for men, I now know anyone can benefit. For me, it was just about giving my appearance a little boost, but for other men, it could do wonders for their confidence. The key is keeping things subtle so they let your natural appearance shine. No one should feel embarrassed about wanting to look and feel confident, and if ‘tweakments’ help that, I’m all for it.