You might not be able to tell by looking around
you – it’s been a couple of decades since the wind tunnel look was 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 change 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 facelifting with Ulthera,
skin treatments with Hale and BBL, plus hair replacement procedures.
Stephen
Handisides
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