Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

More Men Are Discovering Cosmetic Surgery
HealthDay ^ | Jan. 2, 2006 | Kathleen Doheny

Posted on 01/02/2006 1:42:36 PM PST by presidio9

Need proof that cosmetic surgery and men is now a mainstream marriage?

Check out these statistics: While women still make up 87 percent of all cosmetic surgery patients, 1.2 million procedures were performed on men in 2004. That's a 16 percent increase since 2000, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

"More men than ever before are getting plastic surgery," said Dr. Brent Moelleken, a Beverly Hills, Calif., plastic and reconstructive surgeon who says up to 20 percent of his practice includes men. "Ten years ago, it was just 5 to 10 percent."

Men choose to improve many of the same body parts as women. But they're different as cosmetic surgery patients in other ways, say the doctors who work on them.

The top five male cosmetic surgeries in 2004 were nose reshaping, hair transplantation, eyelid surgery, liposuction and breast reduction, according to the ASPS. Another organization that keeps statistics, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), has the same top five surgeries for men, although in a slightly different order.

Women also were most likely to opt for nose reshaping, eyelid surgery and liposuction, followed by breast augmentation and facelifts, according to the ASPS. The ASAPS reported nearly the same top five, but with tummy tucks nosing out nose jobs.

When it comes to minimally invasive procedures, men -- like women -- choose Botox injections, as well as chemical peels, collagen injections and microdermabrasion, a process in which a plastic surgeon uses a device like a "fine sandblaster to spray tiny crystals across the face, mixing mild abrasion with suction to remove the dead, outer layer of skin," according to the ASPS.

"Men are typically more reticent to come in for a consult," Moelleken said. And they let things slide longer. Translation: "By the time their eyelids bother them, for instance, they are really heavy."

What they don't ask for -- or want -- is dramatic change. "The first thing they tell me is, 'Don't overdo me.'" Men, as do most women, want subtle, not startling, effects, Moelleken said.

Men often choose less-invasive surgeries with less downtime, said Dr. Michael Olding, chief of plastic surgery at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery's public education committee.

"Instead of a facelift, men ask me to get rid of their neck waddle, to get rid of the turkey gobbler," Olding said, adding that if a man's a good candidate, he performs a neck lift rather than a full facelift.

The desire to retain a youthful look in today's competitive work world drives many men to Dr. Leroy Young. He's a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital in St. Louis, and chairman of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons' emerging trends task force.

"There is now very good data to show the good jobs, the promotions, go to the young and good-looking," Young said. So, men figure, why not give nature a little help, he added.

"There basically is no longer a stigma," Young said. That's partly due, he said, to the makeover reality shows on television, which he called a double-edged sword. While the multiple surgeries depicted on some shows are financially out of reach for many, the shows do create awareness of what can be accomplished under the care of a competent surgeon, he said.

But Moelleken believes there's still a perceived stigma among some men "and that's what prevents [some of] them from having plastic surgery."

Stigma or not, Moelleken wishes men would become better educated about cosmetic procedures and come in sooner, before the sagging skin and droopy eyelids get too severe. He notices that most men follow his post-op recuperation instructions -- such as resting and limiting physical activity -- well.

But Olding doesn't see a difference in compliance between men and women in following his orders after surgery. "It's more person-specific," he said. "It's not a gender thing."

Experts advise men and women considering cosmetic surgery to consult with several doctors, to check to see if they are board certified, and to get an accurate idea of exactly what the doctor can and can't do to improve their appearance.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: burtreynolds; cameltoe; cameltoes; fatalbert; manbreasts; metrosexuals; plasticsurgery; thisisgay
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-94 next last

1 posted on 01/02/2006 1:42:37 PM PST by presidio9
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: presidio9

Take a look at Burt Reynolds or Robert Redford and tell me that's a look you want. Let the metrosexuals go at it and pass me the remote, dammit.


2 posted on 01/02/2006 1:45:29 PM PST by Thebaddog (K9 4ever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: presidio9

Well, if one is like the late J.P.Morgan and has a gigantic proboscis, then (1) such a person would be able to afford it easily and (2) it would be understandable. Why should one's nose get in the way of one's food?


3 posted on 01/02/2006 1:48:24 PM PST by GSlob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Thebaddog

You forgot to mention Dick Clark.


4 posted on 01/02/2006 1:48:38 PM PST by i_dont_chat (Bush lied, people dyed. Their fingers. [Stolen from Mark Steyn].)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Thebaddog

Paul Newman also looks like he's been pulled too tight. Men look great with some age on them. I can't figure out why they're doing this.


5 posted on 01/02/2006 1:49:40 PM PST by Lizavetta
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: presidio9

check this out:

http://www.awfulplasticsurgery.com/


6 posted on 01/02/2006 1:49:53 PM PST by Huck (Don't Vote: It only encourages them.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GSlob

I rest my case......

7 posted on 01/02/2006 1:49:54 PM PST by Loud Mime (Build the Border Wall - Enforce the Law)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Thebaddog

There's alot of plastic surgery for men that isn't drastic, like Redford or Reynolds. I'm trying to talk my husband into getting an eye lift. It truly just makes the face look a little bit more refreshed and young. I see nothing wrong with it. What business is it of anybody else's what someone chooses to do with their bodies.


8 posted on 01/02/2006 1:49:55 PM PST by Hildy (Spielberg spends his spare time memorializing the last Holocaust while working to justify the next.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Thebaddog

I wouldn't mind going under the light (laser) so I wouldn't have to shave every morning. Just imagine, no 5 o'clock shadow; being able to just shampoo and dash out the door. No irriating razor burns, no stubble, and never again looking like the runner-up in a hatchet contest just before a business meeting.


9 posted on 01/02/2006 1:50:01 PM PST by Hodar (With Rights, come Responsibilities. Don't assume one, without assuming the other.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Thebaddog
Take a look at Burt Reynolds or Robert Redford and tell me that's a look you want.

Or John Botox Kerry.

My position on this has not changed. I will not vote for a man who gets his nails done.

10 posted on 01/02/2006 1:50:02 PM PST by freespirited
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: freespirited

Anybody think John Wayne would have had cosmetic surgery?


11 posted on 01/02/2006 1:52:24 PM PST by mlc9852
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Thebaddog; Boazo

12 posted on 01/02/2006 1:55:37 PM PST by presidio9 (Islam is as Islam does)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Hildy

One can get his eye-lids re-done and Medicare will pay for it, if the drooping lids cut off some vision.


13 posted on 01/02/2006 1:55:45 PM PST by i_dont_chat (Bush lied, people dyed. Their fingers. [Stolen from Mark Steyn].)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Thebaddog

Robert Redford looks pretty natural to me, though I suppose he must have had something done. Burt Reynolds on the other hand is horrific looking! Not as bad as Michael Jackson, but still bad.

I think a little is okay, especially if it's to correct some really atrocious anomaly like no chin, a huge honker of a nose, etc.

Anti aging stuff--I think doing the eyelids is okay because it probably helps you to see better. It certainly looks like their eyes are open wider (and I'm not talking about Michael Jackson's doe eyed deer in the headlights, just a normal eye).

My sister always told me men age better than women because they are constantly planing dead skin off their faces when shaving.


14 posted on 01/02/2006 1:56:11 PM PST by Burkean
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Loud Mime

I don't see a nasal impediment to eating in the picture you've posted, and I doubt there had ever been one in the case.


15 posted on 01/02/2006 1:58:10 PM PST by GSlob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: presidio9

Obligatory Brazil graphic.

16 posted on 01/02/2006 1:58:16 PM PST by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: i_dont_chat

Doesn't apply to hubby!


17 posted on 01/02/2006 1:58:52 PM PST by Hildy (Spielberg spends his spare time memorializing the last Holocaust while working to justify the next.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: martin_fierro

burt reynolds face job is purt near that scary for real.


18 posted on 01/02/2006 1:59:12 PM PST by xsmommy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: freespirited

If you think GW has never had his nails done, I think you're living in a dream world.


19 posted on 01/02/2006 1:59:42 PM PST by Hildy (Spielberg spends his spare time memorializing the last Holocaust while working to justify the next.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: xsmommy; Hildy; Burkean

20 posted on 01/02/2006 2:03:10 PM PST by presidio9 (Islam is as Islam does)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-94 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson