The Bond Effect: Are male cosmetic treatments becoming more popular?

His crisp suit, his close shave and his suave sauntering. That’s what may come in mind when anyone thinks of Bond, James Bond.

But for image-conscious men watching the latest 007 offering, “Spectre,” they may take their admiration for the sleek spy a little further.

A Dubai-based aesthetic center has seen an “increase in male bookings in November, and is predicting a big trend while 007 fever continues.”

In a statement, the center – named “The Private Clinic” – puts this down to customers being unable to escape the film and advertising mania over James Bond.

“You can’t escape those smooth and sophisticated images of 007 right now with all the billboards, posters, advertising and online snippets, and interestingly this is translating directly into Dubai’s men wanting to be part of the action,” said Michael Mitry, Director at The Private Clinic.

“We are seeing a gradual increase in both men booking themselves in for facials and anti-ageing treatments, and wives making the bookings on behalf of their other halves! We’re calling it the Bond effect.”

Popular male treatments at the clinic include HydraDermabrasion, TCA (acid) peel, Botox injections, microneedling, and lipomassage.

“Spectre” overcame lukewarm reviews to triumph at the North American box office, earning a whopping $73 million on its debut weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The star-studded spy thriller - with Daniel Craig as the dashing secret agent, Italian beauty Monica Bellucci and Oscar-winning Austrian star Christoph Waltz as the villain - was among the most anticipated films of the year.

(With Reuters)