More men are getting plastic surgery – here’s what they’re getting done

Cosmetic surgery is often thought of as a topic discussed among women, however a new report finds that there is a steadily increasing number of men who are turning to such enhancing surgeries.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, about 1.3 million cosmetic procedures were performed on men in 2017 – that’s a one per cent increase from the previous year, but four per cent from 2015.

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“More and more men are coming to my office to have an open discussion about their insecurities,” plastic surgeon Dr. Lorelei Grunwaldt said in a press release. “When I explain the wide range of surgeries and procedures available to help them achieve their goals, I can see the look of relief on their faces. For a lot of men, just having a procedure on an area of their body that they’re self-conscious about can really make a positive impact on how they see themselves.”

In particular, Grunwaldt says she sees a lot of young men getting body contouring procedures done, with liposuction (23 per cent) and tummy tucks (12 per cent) seeing a boost in popularity, as well as breast reductions (30 per cent).

Older men, on the other hand, are focusing more on procedures that help them take years off of their faces, the report states.

About 100,000 US men are documented to have had filler injections, which is up 99 per cent from the year before. Botox alone has quadrupled in popularity as well.

“Some people call this the ‘executive edge’ because a lot of patients report that they want to look younger to continue to compete in the workplace,” Dr. Jeffrey Janis, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, said in the statement. “But I think, more often, men just want to look as young as they feel.”

The results of the report aren’t surprising to both Dr. Peter Lennox, president of the Canadian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and Dr. Mitchell Brown, plastic surgeon and professor of surgery at the University of Toronto.

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And while Canadian statistics do not exist, both physicians say that what’s being experienced in the US is pretty comparable to what Canada’s been seeing.

“You’ll notice that statistics for both male and female increase regularly on an annual basis,” Mitchell says. “So why would that be? It’s societal changes – there’s a greater sense of acceptance for physical body change electively for undergoing plastic surgery.”

Lennox agrees.

“It is now much more commonly in the public eye, and more people are exposed to it and comfortable with it,” Lennox says. “As cosmetic surgery in general has become more mainstream, men have also become exposed to the options and are more accepting. Some have postulated that the rise in social media has also increased acceptance and interest in cosmetic surgery in general, with people much more commonly in online photos, etc.”

Men of all ages are getting work done, but age differences can be seen in the type of procedures they choose to get done, Mitchell explains, which was pointed out in the report.

Other ones that are also popular in Canada, Mitchell points out, are hair transplantation and facial procedures, specifically eyelid surgery and nasal reshaping.

However, before any man or woman undergoes cosmetic surgery, Lennox says to do your homework first and should consult with a Royal College certified specialist in plastic surgery to find out all of their options.