Should Men Get Plastic Surgery

Mens Journal 2013

Americans spent more than $11 billion on cosmetic surgery procedures last year, but a new study might be enough raise even the most botox-ed of brows. Led by Dr. Joshua Zimm, a Manhattan-based plastic surgeon, the study showed that, when judged by independent viewers, patients appeared younger than before undergoing their respective procedures.

Aside from having no guarantee of better looks, cosmetic surgery patients are exposed to some of the same risks associated with non-elective procedures, including bleeding, infections, and adverse reactions to anesthesia.

Despite some risks, more men are choosing to have a little work done. Dr. Gregory Evans, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, says that the demographics of cosmetic surgery patients have been shifting for years. “When I was training in the eighties and nineties, one of the red flags was a male in the waiting room for cosmetic surgery,” Evans says. “That’s completely different now.”

While men still undergo fewer than 10 percent of all cosmetic procedures, they are opting for it more often, about 56 percent more often, than the year 2000.

Nose jobs and eyelid surgeries remain the top procedures for men, but gynecomastia (breast reduction) has grown in popularity in recent years. Nearly 21,000 men had their breasts reduced in 2012, an increase of 5 percent from 2011 and 27 percent from 2005.

Men of all ages are having procedures from more modest procedures like Botox to major body contouring procedures such as tummy tucks and muscle augmentation.  Because cosmetic aims differ tremendously between men and women, it is important to choose a plastic surgeon that has both experience and aesthetic sensibility for the male form.

Dr. Evans isn’t certain what’s driving more men to cosmetic surgery.  “Ultimately, it’s not about how you are perceived by other people, it’s about how you perceive yourself,” Evans explained. “It’s about if you believe that you’ve got a younger, healthier look.”