There was a time when cosmetic surgery used to be a procedure done only by women. They would be the only clients pulling up to the cosmetic surgery clinic. Those days are long gone, and now men are also clamoring to get to the best cosmetic surgeons to perfect their bodies and defy aging.

If you think about it, it shouldn’t be that surprising. When men started embracing manicures and pedicures for personal grooming and words like “metrosexual” started to become more common, it was only a matter of time before men would pursue this road to the next checkpoint: cosmetic surgery. The road from the manicure to gynecomastia surgery has been rather direct. All the same, it still comes as something of a novelty because the perceptions of society and the stigma surrounding cosmetic surgery as a whole, let alone male cosmetic surgery, has not fully lifted, although it gets chipped at persistently every day.

More Than Just the Basics

Men don’t just do facials, manicures and pedicures. They are also getting their unibrows plucked and their nether regions waxed. These are common activities. Because they are so common, men around the world are going a little further. They are now going to cosmetic surgery clinics to correct what they perceive as imperfections in their bodies and also to reverse the effects of age.

Now, to be sure, the number of men going under the knife for aesthetic purposes is not overwhelmingly large. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASPS), about 1.3 million men went under the cosmetic surgeon’s knife in 2017. That was about 8 percent of the total number of cosmetic procedures that had been done that year.

When you think of it from that perspective, then it doesn’t sound like much. However, if you look at the way it’s been trending since the turn of the century, then things look a lot more interesting. For example, female interest in cosmetic procedures has grown by about 164 percent since 2003. Male interest in cosmetic procedures has grown by 88 percent in the same time span. That tells you that make interest in cosmetic surgery is growing at a very high rate, just like female interest.

If a rate like that is sustained going forward into the future, then we can expect men to embrace these procedures more widely. There will be many kinds of men coming in for the procedures, from the Hollywood actor that wants to get a certain kind of role to the high-flying executive that wants to look younger so he can close more deals.

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Common Procedures Being Done on Men

Most men go under the knife to have fat sucked out of their chests, particularly around the breasts. This is known as gynecomastia surgery and is done to avoid the much dreaded “man boobs.” Some of the other popular types of plastic surgery for men include liposuction of the waistline, tucking of loose skin for those that have had extreme weight loss, rhinoplasty for those that would like to alter their noses for the better and ear tucking.

For older men, eyelid surgery is pretty common to lift the eyelids and reverse the changes brought about by age on the face. Most people want to go for the least invasive procedures, probably because they are cautious about the side effects. The injection of Botox is also becoming common in men and has been dubbed “Brotox” as a result. Common areas for the injection of Botox include the forehead, where it is done to eliminate the forehead lines brought about by age. Other injectables include Juvederm and Restylane, which are commonly used to restore the jawline and eliminate smile lines, respectively.

While there was a time when chest hairs were seen as desirable in men, the times are changing, and many men would rather not have them now. They are therefore opting for laser hair removal for hair growing on their chests and backs. More men are also swearing by the benefits of skin care products and are using them more and more.

There is also the case of hair transplants for men that would like to get rid of their balding condition. For some men, it even goes farther than that. In Florida, for example, hundreds of men are reported to undergo bone lengthening procedures every year so they can grow taller. The procedure involves breaking the bones at strategic places then separating the broken ends and having them grow across the gap over a few months. Not only is the procedure very pricey, but it is also not for the faint of heart.

Most Common Types of Men Who Get Plastic Surgery

Most people think that it’s only people who often appear on TV and magazines that get cosmetic surgery. However, the truth is that there are a variety of personalities that opt for the procedure.

There are actors and models. Usually, they already look attractive and desirable. However, they usually have one or two last things to “perfect” to catapult their career forward. A good-looking actor, for example, might need a firmer and more confident chin and jawline to get more main roles in movies. A model might want his abs to look more sculpted so that he can get better jobs.

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Bodybuilders also sometimes opt for plastic surgery in a bid to improve their looks. A bodybuilder might have shoulders that don’t match their large chests and might want to correct them, or they might want gluteal implants for firmer glutes.

Older men that used to body build but let themselves go at some point due to family obligations are also common clients. Usually, they want the fat sucked out of their chests and love handles so they can get back their Olympian bodies of old.

Another typical client is the man that has lost an overwhelming amount of weight, usually between 50 and 150 pounds. These men tend to suffer from loose skin left behind where the fat used to be and could do with a torso tuck to improve their silhouette.

Social Media a Powerful Driver

Other kinds of plastic surgery can be said to be fueled by the modern “selfie” culture that is proliferated by social media. More men are now fighting for the same likes and comments as women on Instagram and other visual forms of social media and are being valued based solely on their looks. They will use editing techniques to make themselves look younger and more handsome on social media so it isn’t unthinkable that they might want to use real life ‘editing’ to make themselves look the same in their everyday lives. These are the ones that go for the rhinoplasties and other facial procedures.

Esteem might also be a factor in the type of man going for cosmetic surgery, though it would be rash to assume that all men that go under the cosmetic surgeon’s knife have esteem issues. Sometimes, it has nothing to do with esteem, and it’s just the man wanting to improve themselves.

In fact, it is sometimes the woman that will schedule the very first appointment for their man. The man might take his woman to the surgeon for her own procedure and then get interested in knowing if something can be done for him as well. Often, it will be a hushed process. However, it is expected that with time, the stigma surrounding the procedure will reduce and men will be more open about it.