The 5 things men ask for when they go for plastic surgery
You might not be able to tell by looking around you – it’s been a couple of decades since the wind tunnel look was a thing – but the fact is, more men than ever are having cosmetic surgery.
There were 51,140 cosmetic surgery procedures in the UK in 2015, according to the British Association of Plastic Surgeons – and that was up 13% on the previous year.
Of those, 4,164 procedures were performed on men – almost twice the number of men who had cosmetic surgery a decade ago.
It remains as 9% of the total number of procedures carried out – but with the overall number growing, it shows just how readily we’ll go under the knife – or at least the needle – to look a few years younger.
Much is made of the pressure on men (and women) to look young – and there’s no doubt the media and the movie industry play a huge part in the way we feel when we look in the mirror.
But while our desire to look young, to smooth our foreheads, to artificially plump our lips or pecs, may seem ever more extreme, body modification is nothing new.
It’s just trends, techniques and tools that move with the times.
Humans have always sought ways to alter or improve their appearance and aesthetic goals have changed across cultures and centuries.
Skull reshaping, higher hairlines, skin whitened with lead. Breasts enlarged or reduced, fat sucked out or pumped in: what’s hot now was probably not 100 – or even 10 – years ago.
Now though, for many who visit clinics in UK and US, the desire is not to look line-free, pneumatic – or even dramatically different.
The most popular request men make now is to look like a better version of themselves, rather than a new version. Tweaked not tucked is the phrase of the day.
Top US plastic surgeon Dr.Grant Stevens is the founder and medical director of Marina Plastic Surgery in Los Angeles, which caters specifically for men.
He tells us the top 5 things that male clients ask for.
Speed
That’s fast treatments and fast recovery. ‘Men frequently ask me how long the visit or treatment will take,’ says Dr Stevens.
‘There is an emphasis on the amount of time as well as the length of the downtime.’
He says that non-surgical procedures at his clinic out number the surgeries 10 to 1.
A banging body
While women tend to invest more in treating their face, men are just as concerned – if not more – with their body.
‘The most frequent requests include non-surgical services such as fat reduction and body contouring with CoolSculpting,’ says Dr Stevens. Likewise when it comes to surgical procedures, it’s liposuction, male breast reduction and body lifts they book in for.
To look natural
These days everyone wants a natural look, so people can’t tell they’ve have a treatment. But the trend for subtle treatments is even more important in male patients. ‘The emphasis is always on natural-looking treatments regardless if they are surgical or non-surgical,’ says Dr Stevens.
No pain
Sorry boys, but when it comes to aesthetic treatments it’s women that are tougher. ‘Pain is a big difference between men and women,’ says Dr Stevens. ‘Men ask how much a treatment hurts. They are not used to the exchange of pain for beauty, and they also have less pain tolerance.’
They want a new head of hair – but they don’t want it to hurt. Hence the popularity of new methods of hair transplant like Vectus, which claim to be pain-free.
To look younger.. and to have more hair
‘Men want to look younger, more vital, healthier and more attractive,’ Dr Stevens says, ‘but they’re opting for non-surgical treatments instead of going under the knife.’ The most asked-for treatments? ‘Non-surgical face lifting with Ulthera, skin treatments with Halo and BBL, plus hair restoration procedures.
View the full article at Metro.co.uk By Stephen Handisides.
