IT’S perfectly all right for an old catcher’s mitt to look worn and leathery. The more lines, wrinkles and seams it has, the better it is to catch the ball. However, the same is not true of your face - particularly for men. With an onslaught of skin care options, more and more guys are finding themselves trying out treatments they might have dismissed as "girly" just a few years ago. Deciding to take a more drastic skin care step - Botox, chemical peels, laser resurfacing - might seem scary. But now, more than ever, men are turning to several procedures to tighten skin, remove dark marks and smooth frown lines.

Depending on the type and chemical concentration used, peels can remove only superficial layers of skin, or they can penetrate much deeper. The less intensive "lunchtime peel" has remained popular and can be completed in less time than a lunch break, allowing patients to return to work without evidence of the procedure. Deeper peels may generate some redness and require more recovery and, thus, some downtime from work. With the minimal downtime attached to so many skin care treatments, modern men can undergo a procedure and be back at work or home with a fresh, youthful look before anyone even notices they’ve left.