'Brotox boom': More men are getting Botox, other cosmetic touch-ups

Botox has been around for a while, but data shows that more men are headed to the doctor to get cosmetic procedures. Some have coined it the "brotox boom."

"It just lifts it. Smooths everything out. I look younger. More refreshed instead of tired," said Ralph Cutrone, an event coordinator. He said he exercises eats healthy, and gets a bi-annual injection of Botox.

"I had these big frown lines and they were really deep. He (the doctor) said, ‘I can take care of those for you," Cutrone said.

He started getting Botox in his mid-40s. He’s now 57.

"People say, ‘how do you not age?’ And a lot of people do say that. It’s funny," Cutrone said.

Dr. George Pope, a plastic surgeon, has been working in Orlando for 35 years. He said he's seen an increase in the number of male patients coming in for treatment, including Botox, laser skin resurfacing, laser hair removal, and facial fillers.

"It wasn’t considered a real masculine thing to have a facelift or Botox or anything like that," he said.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there was a 29% increase in the number of minimally invasive cosmetic procedures, including Botox, among men over the past two decades. Dr. Pope attributes some of the increase to the amount of virtual calls that have become part of the workplace culture these days.

"They see themselves on the screen and think ‘wow I need Botox. I didn’t know I looked like that,’" Dr. Pope said. Some patients think it gives them a leg up at th office, he said. 

"They’re concerned about mainly their brow, a furrowed center brow. When they look worried or concerned they contract these muscles," he said.

More men are also feeling for comfortable going under the knife for nose jobs, eyelid surgery, and male breast reduction, Dr. Pope said.

For Ralph, he said he feels more confident, both in his personal life and at work.

"A lot of younger people are coming into the industry. So I feel like I’m competing and I’m still there."

Most injections run about $12 per unit.