Men are becoming far more conscious about their image

While women have long realised that perfectly shaped eyebrows can frame their best feature and draw emphasis to the eyes, it now seems that men are getting in on the act too. High street giant Debenhams have revealed that men now make up 40% of visitors to brow bars, and men are being plucked, tweezed and waxed alongside their female counterparts in an attempt to achieve that effortless, well-groomed look. But what has prompted men to take up the tweezers and get rid of that monobrow?

Social pressure

Research carried out by Debenhams at their in-store salons revealed that men wanted to smarten up their appearance before a job interview or a wedding. It's long been a myth that men with monobrows somehow cannot be trusted or are 'shifty'. To distance themselves from this misconception, men are becoming more fastidious about their appearance - and that includes hair removal techniques to get rid of unwanted facial hair. Another beauty chain, Calderdale Beauty Salons, have also said that men are trying to emulate that perfectly arched eyebrow look so ubiquitously associated with movie icons like James Bond. The most requested brow shapes apparently include Robert Pattinson, David Beckham and Peter Andre. But don't go in asking for a 'Jeremy Clarkson' or Sylvester Stallone's over plucked look - they're on the ones to avoid list!

Most men go for a temporary fix, using a range of techniques such as tweezing and waxing through to an ancient method of hair removal known as 'threading'. This technique originated in India and involves thin twine of cotton being rolled over the area and plucking out the hair at the follicle level. Unlike ordinary plucking with tweezers, this method removes an entire row of hair in one go. So it is quicker and more accurate, as well as being less painful than other methods.

More permanent methods

For men who are really self-conscious about their looks or who just don't want the hassle of having to visit a salon every so often to get their eyebrows tidied up, there are more permanent alternatives. Laser hair removal offers a solution that is much longer lasting than plucking or tweezing, and works particularly well on the thicker hair men tend to have in their eyebrow region. More salons are now offering this service, and have noticed a considerable increase in the number of men opting for permanent hair removal treatments such as laser hair removal.

But what's changed our attitude to the monobrow? Beauty therapists think that the biggest influence has come from Hollywood, where male stars are far more open about their beauty routines than before. It is no longer considered the height of vanity or 'a bit girlie' to admit to having pride in your appearance, and many men are becoming much more comfortable with sitting alongside their female friends in a beauty salon to get problem areas tidied up. The look is no longer the Neanderthal monobrow - men are going for the dark, brooding and perfectly groomed look, including tidying up those errant eyebrows!

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Gill Grozier - sk:n was established in 1990 and is the UK's leading provider of skincare conditions treatment and products including: botox, anti wrinkle treatment and laser treatments such as hair removal and laser tattoo removal.

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Gill Grozier

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Email: g.grozier@lasercare-clinics.co.uk