More and more men are turning to cosmetic surgical treatments to look good
The latest statistics from several cosmetic institutes show that the misunderstanding that cosmetic surgery is only for women can go away if more men are operated on. According to the International Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, more than 2.5 million men underwent cosmetic surgery in 2014, which represents about 13.7% of the total population. BAAPS found that blepharoplasty was the most requested cosmetic procedure, with rhinoplasty and breast reduction ranking second and third.
Most men have opted for suitable cosmetic surgery that can be marketed in the workplace, whether to apply for a new job or to compete with younger colleagues. “It is clear that the 2014 audience was more of a refreshed or youthful appearance than more striking changes,” said Michael Cadier, President of BAAPS and consultant plastic surgeon. Due to this growing demand, plastic surgeons have recently started to offer services exclusively to men.
Dr. Douglas Steinbruch, a plastic surgeon based in Manhattan, classified the men most likely to opt for cosmetic surgery on Business Insider into four types. He claimed that cosmetic surgery has become a very powerful marketing tool by helping them get a younger and refreshed look, which today increases a person’s chances of climbing the career ladder.
He identifies the first type as the “male model,” someone who wants defined abdominal muscles, a sharp jaw, and an overall torn appearance, and can opt for procedures such as breast implants, high-resolution liposuction, and widening of the jaw line for a model appearance.
Then there is the “bodybuilder” who would more or less choose procedures similar to the male model, but with a more muscular build. This type of men may also want gynecomastia (male breast reduction) to remove the fat on the breast that steroids often cause.
The other two types of men, Dr. Saxifrage, identified himself as “CEO or enlarged member” and the “athletic father” as men who would choose procedures that would provide more subtle results such as neck lift, liposuction and reshaping. This leads to custom process packages which have been developed exclusively for men and are called “Daddy Do-Overs”. It is known that these cosmetic surgeries help to improve the appearance of a person without obvious change.
Undoubtedly, the recent trend changes are correlated with the growing demand for cosmetic surgery for men, which leads to new techniques in the field of medical aesthetics. The impact of social media on people’s lifestyles could also play a role as people become more obsessed with their self-image. This raises the controversial question: is plastic surgery vanity or necessity?
