Plastic Surgery – Now Widely Popular Among Males Too

You always thought Cosmetic surgeries were associated with females! Didn’t you!! That is far from the truth today.  While women love appreciating their appearance for various reasons, men are not far behind in flaunting their looks and gaining  precious self-esteem through plastic surgery. We have Statistics to prove our claim. The reasons about this increase in male awareness could be multifarious.  Ofcourse, men are becoming more conscious than ever regarding their looks and appearances, and why not! After all, they have all the right to flaunt their personality, just like females do. Let’s now study the available statistics and get into the depth of this rising trend.

Plastic Surgery figures for Men

As per a survey report, around 1.2 million men opted for cosmetic surgery procedures in 2018, which was three times more the male headcounts in 2008, one decade ago.  

The statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) released in 2018 unveil a rise of 29.5% in male cosmetic surgeries since the year 2000. Of the approx. 16 million cosmetic procedures done in 2018, 1.3 million (1,327,718 to be precise) were males. This comprised 8% of the total procedures done in 2018, and accounted for 1% increase since 2017. When compared to 2000, this rise comes out to be 76%, which is mind boggling.

Segregating this data further, the report reveals that 13% males underwent cosmetic surgical procedures and 8% males opted for cosmetic minimally invasive procedures.  

Most popular Plastic surgery among men

Usually, men express more concern for problems like hair loss, tiredness, jawline deformations, and excess fat. Hence, they aspire to get away with all such ailments through plastic surgery. More specifically, men prefer going under the knife for various surgical as well as minimally invasive procedures to get away with their concerns. Let’s dig out the 2017 report of the ASPS again to find out which of the surgeries are hot favorite among the males of today.

Cosmetic surgical procedures (Each with 10,000 plus instances):

Whole nose reshaping remained the top choice of most of the males; eyelid surgery remained the second most preferred surgery in 2017. Here are more figures in this line:

• Nose reshaping (rhinoplasty) - 52,393
• Eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) - 32,281
• Liposuction - 28,180
• Male Breast reduction (gynecomastia) - 26,839
• Hair transplantation – 14,443
• Facelift (rhytidectomy) - 11,719
• Dermabrasion - 11,637
• Ear surgery (otoplasty) - 10,126

Other common surgeries included Cheek implant (malar augmentation), Chin augmentation (mentoplasty), and Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), Forehead lift, etc.

Cosmetic minimally invasive procedures (Each with 100,000 plus instances):

Knowing about the interest of men in minimally invasive procedures would also be worthwhile. Here is a quick look at the data from 2017 ASPS report.

• Botulinum toxin type A - 467,760
• Chemical peel - 107,425
• Laser hair removal - 184,368
• Microdermabrasion - 142,842

Other prominent preferences of males in this category included Soft tissue fillers, Laser skin resurfacing, Laser treatment of leg veins, etc.

Why men mostly opt for plastic surgery?

A flurry of reasons could account for the attraction of men toward plastic surgery procedures. Shedding off the age-old impression of being rough and tough, the modern day man desires to have a softer skin. Besides, the decision could come up as a part of one’s professional and personal life as well.

Professional : Professions like acting, modeling, TV anchoring, etc. require men to have a perfectly toned body with a more confident and esthetically framed structured face.

Sexual Selection & Dating: Attractive figure could help males hook up to their dates better. Moreover, it is a societal change with increased breakups and divorces, with men in their mid-30’s or 40’s looking out for a second innings in the dating world after being single since long.

To regain self-confidence: A survey conducted in Canada in 2009 with 103 men inferred that men having low self-esteem are the most likely to go for cosmetic procedures.

To defy aging: One may also choose to go for any such procedure to look younger than their age or if they have started appearing over-aged at an early stage in their lives due to stress or hectic lifestyle.

Risk factors associated with Plastic Surgery

These can be grouped as follows:

The risks of Anesthesia: Young people can withstand the effect of sedation and anesthesia more easily. But aged people or those having a medical condition may develop problems like cardiac arrest, blood loss or clotting, etc. after administering anesthesia. Prolonged anesthesia above 2 hours increases risks further.

Risks resulting due to Surgery: These may include problems like scars, numbness, fluid collection, dead skin, infection, etc.

Risks associated with the surgeon: Make sure to hire a duly trained and licensed plastic surgeon to operate on your body. The risks of treatment can  skyrocket if this point is ignored.

Risks related to surgery location: Poorly sanitized surgery room or unhygienic surgery equipment could increase the risk of infection. Nowadays the norm is to practice in residences, shops and showrooms and this has increased the risk of surgeries by a quantum leap.

What about the associated cost?

The cost of plastic surgery depends on the type of surgery you are opting for. It will also depend much on the location where surgery is done (a hospital will cost more than when the clinic is in a shop) and the surgeon you have chosen for the procedure. Plastic surgeries that involve treatment of wounded body or defective vision etc. are likely to get insurance cover. To the contrary, if the procedure is for body rejuvenation, or to improve your esthetic appeal, it will not invite any reimbursement  cover.

Takeaways

Once you have decided in favor of plastic surgery for any of your body part, few important things to consider include as below:

• You should set a realistic goal for your surgery so that you don’t feel sorry later on.
• Consult with your surgeon to know all the associated risks and complications
• Try to avoid your smoking habits prior to the surgery and afterwards as well.
• Make sure that you are healthy and fit enough to undergo the treatment.
• Seek advice of your surgeon if you have a prior medical history, to avoid later risks.

Indeed, plastic surgery is no more a sacred thing for women only; men are equally likely to go for any such procedure. All you need is to be aware of all the pros and cons to make a realistic decision in consultation with a ethical and honest plastic surgeon of repute..