An area of plastic surgery that continues to grow is procedures for men. While men comprise only about 10% of all plastic surgery patients, this number is increasing each year. More men are requesting both surgical and non-surgical procedures for the face and body.
Top Surgical Procedures for Men and their Statistics
According to the official procedural statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgery and the American Aesthetic Society of Plastic Surgeons, the top 5 surgical procedures for men includes nasal surgery (rhinoplasty), eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), male liposuction, male chest reduction (gynecomastia surgery), and hair transplantation.
Hair transplantation For Men
Among these top five surgical procedures, hair transplantation is the fastest growing, increasing about 20% from 2016. This is mostly due to a combination of increased awareness as well as improved technology. Historically, hair transplant surgery involved techniques that were very crude, and resulted in very unnatural results. Oftentimes, the transplanted hair appeared to be “doll-like” and it was very obvious that a procedure was done. This made these procedures undesirable to most men and there was a stigma attached to it. However, there has been significant improvement in the understanding of the procedure and also the technology used.
Doctors have become more knowledgeable about creating an appealing hairline. They recognize that the hairline should be softer. This means that the transplanted hairs should be arranged more “randomly” along the front hairline, in order to avoid creating a sharp “wig-like” appearance. This was often not possible in the past since the older technology only allowed for larger clumps of hairs to be transplanted. Modern technology now allows them to harvest and transplant small number of hairs, even individual hair follicles. This means that the doctor can alternate groups of one, two, or three hairs along the hairline. The result is a much more natural appearance. Additionally, the improved technology allows for a much faster (and more discrete) recovery process. Since “donor” areas can be more hidden and heal quicker.
Liposuction for Men
The second fastest growing surgical procedure is liposuction. This can also be partially attributed to improved techniques as well. The use of smaller cannulas allows for smaller scars and faster recovery. Also, the use of newer energy-based liposuction technologies can help decrease bruising and swelling and also help stimulate more skin retraction. Men have also been happy with newer “highlighting” and “etching” techniques that create the appearance of muscle definition and a more masculine physique. There has been a 7% increase in male liposuction procedures since 2016.
Non-Surgical Procedures for Men
Non-surgical procedures are also more common among men. The top five non-surgical or minimally-invasive procedures among men are Botulinum Toxin injections (Botox, Dysport, or Xeomin), laser hair removal, microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and soft tissue fillers (Restylane, Juvederm, Radiesse, and Sculptra).
Botulinum Toxin injections is the fastest growing of these top non-surgical procedures. Approximately half a million Botulinum Toxin treatments are performed each year on men. This represents a 7% increase since 2016. These are simple injections that are almost painless and require zero recovery time. They are done to reduce or eliminate lines between the eyebrows, on the forehead, and around the eyes. The results last approximately 3 to 4 months.
Why are men requesting more plastic surgery procedures?
So why are men requesting more plastic surgery procedures? As discussed earlier, the increased demand can be partially attributed to improvement in technology and techniques. Modern technologies and techniques allow for more natural results, less pain, and a faster recovery. This applies to all procedures, including those done for women. Those men who have avoided plastic surgery procedures because of fear of scarring, pain, and time off from work are now reconsidering things.
Also important is that there has been a reduced stigma surrounding male plastic surgery. 10 to 20 years ago, most people had plastic surgery done in secret. They were hesitant to let people know that they were having a procedure done. Men were even more secretive of plastic surgery procedures. More recently, everyone, including men, have become more open about what they want to have done and what they have had done. This can be credited to social media and television. Men are more open to discussing plastic surgery with others and this makes them more willing to have procedures. This is especially true when it comes to less invasive procedures like Botox, hair transplantation, and liposuction.
Increased desire among men to look better
There is also an increased desire among men to look better. Men are more concerned about their appearance. They want to look better and are no longer accepting of the old adage that men appear more distinguished as they get older. Men are more aware of personal grooming, fashion, and other things designed to look better. This trend may be fueled by millennials who grew up without the plastic surgery stigma and are now pursuing cosmetic procedures.
Society may also be putting pressure on men to look better as well. It is not uncommon for a man to have a procedure done in order to help advance personally and professionally. Some men feel that as the workforce becomes more competitive, there is a need to look better…. or younger. The influx of younger men into the workplace may put pressure on the older men to appear younger. There is also pressure within the dating world as well to look better.
As you can see, there is a variety of factors that have contributing to the increase number of men having non-surgical and surgical plastic surgery procedures. These are improved techniques and technologies, increased professional and personal pressure to look better or younger, and the reduced stigma surrounding plastic surgery in general. I have seen a growing number of men in my practice and anticipate that this trend will continue in the future. I would not be surprised if the number of men undergoing these procedures becomes 25% of the total plastic surgery procedures within the next 5 years.
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