The two doctors who launched Australia’s first prescription-only skincare range for women have revealed how bad skin also has a huge impact on men.
Dr Clara Hurst and Dr Deb Cohen-Jones are passionate about helping people achieve a healthy, glowing complexion and in doing so help them to improve their mental health.
The Perth-based practitioners have both had their fair share of skin issues in the past and understand how dramatically it can affect people’s sense of self worth.
Dr Clara Hurst and Dr Deb Cohen-Jones are passionate about helping people achieve a healthy, glowing complexion and in doing so help them to improve their mental health
The impressive before and after images show how effectively the treatments work for skin conditions in men – including acne
The men’s range includes the signature night and day range as well as the popular eye serum
Previously their brand, The Secret, was targeted at women but they soon expanded their range to include products for men – after finding their mental health could also be linked to the appearance of their skin.
The difference is women are more likely to talk about the link between their skin’s appearance and how it makes them feel, the doctors explained.
‘Our survey shows that men are interested in skincare – many of them are raiding their partner’s cabinets for products so it’s important for them to have access to treatments that actually work for them,’ Dr Clara said.
One in eight men will experience depression and one in five men will experience anxiety at some stage of their lives, according to the doctors.
The doctors found that 81 per cent of men were concerned about their skin aging and were actively aware of skin spots, pigmentation and wrinkles.
They also found 64 per cent of men were concerned about looking older while 42 per cent had actively avoided social situations because of their skin.
Jeremy Rimmer, whose wife uses the women’s range, was quick to get his own when the new line was released
He said it started working quite quickly for him which made him continue regularly
Acne and blemishes, skin issues such as skin tags, poor texture, spots and beard health are common concerns for men, but remain unaddressed due to a lack of readily available options for treatment.
The doctors have seen an incredible response to their men’s range.
Jeremy Rimmer, whose wife uses the women’s range, was quick to get his own when the new line was released.
The doctors explained he had seen his wife’s complexion improving dramatically and wanted to jump on the bandwagon.
‘I basically knew you were supposed to put sun cream on, that’s all I knew about skincare,’ he said.
‘My results were quick, and as soon as I started getting them I thought Okay I will give it more,’ the surfer said.
And the before and after photos of other clients are incredible, the doctors said men appear to see faster results than women when they begin treatment.
The doctors are making a $10 donation from every order between now and the end of September to mental health charity, Gotcha4life.
Previously the doctors have revealed you don’t need ‘bad skin’ to benefit from prescription skincare.
The primary benefit is that every pot is made for the customer so the ingredients can be tweaked to suit.
‘You don’t have to have bad skin – though we do treat a range of conditions – only prescription skincare can give you the secret glow – it is not possible without it,’ they said.
The ‘glow’ is similar to that children have and is reflective of young, healthy skin cells.
Both doctors have been using prescription formula skincare for years, Dr Clara to treat ‘awful’ acne, and Dr Deb to treat melasma, or pigmentation.
‘Our survey shows that men are interested in skincare – many of them are raiding their partner’s cabinets for products so it’s important for them to have access to treatments that actually work for them,’ Dr Clara said
‘You don’t have to have bad skin – though we do treat a range of conditions – only prescription skincare can give you the secret glow – it is not possible without it,’ the doctors said
But they both admit it is more difficult to access than it should be – and many people are turned away because their doctors don’t see ‘bad skin’ as a medical issue in need of attention.
This means many people cycle through GPs or are sent off to a dermatologist before they can get a prescription.
‘We are different to most doctors because we see bad skin as a condition which needs to be treated – because we know how much it can effect self confidence and even lead to anxiety and depression,’ Dr Deb said.
Aside from making getting the formula easier to get – the women have also made the process of applying it less complicated.
‘We wanted to simplify skincare, for lazy people like us, we don’t have time for four steps, we have kids, businesses and friends to look after.