Cosmetic surgery is big business. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, each year almost 18 million people undergo a cosmetic surgical procedure. Some of those are considered minimally invasive, like getting Botox or fillers, while others require a more in-depth procedure, such as liposuction or rhinoplasty. The number of men who decide to get cosmetic surgery is increasing each year as well. It’s become more acceptable in today’s world, especially with the rise in popularity of social media, to present the best version of yourself possible.
Sometimes that requires a little nip, tuck, implant, or reshaping of areas on the face or body that a person isn’t entirely happy with. Luckily there are procedures available to improve many different things a man doesn’t have to live with. Let’s look at the 8 most popular cosmetic surgery procedures for men.
#8: Pectoral Implant Surgery
A strong and muscular chest area is a desired quality for a man to have. With that being said, sometimes all the hours in the gym isn’t going to give a guy the exact look he wants to have with his shirt off. That’s where pectoral implant surgery comes in to play. This is in the same ballpark as women go through getting breast augmentation done. A pectoral implant uses a firmer implant that is usually made of a stronger silicone. Performed in a hospital or medical surgical office under general anesthesia, the implant is placed through an incision under the pectoral muscles.
#7: Breast Reduction
On the opposite end of the spectrum from a pectoral implant is male breast reduction. Gynecomastia surgery or breast reduction is performed when the man has an overgrowth of breast tissue, usually due to a hormone problem, and not weight gain. No amount of exercise is going to help the breast tissue get smaller when it’s a hormone imbalance. It’s the same surgery as women who want smaller breasts have done, but it does require the surgical removal of the excess breast tissue and liposuction together to be most effective. The areola sometimes needs to be reshaped in the process. It’s done under general anesthesia, and usually the patient needs a full three to six months to recover completely. That just means taking it easy with sports, exercise, and daily activities.
#6: Hair Transplant
Many men suffer from male pattern baldness. It can be a hereditary trait that is passed down through their families, but luckily a hair transplant can fix the issue. It’s one of the few long term options that truly works to give a man his hairline back from excessive hair loss. There are two different types of hair transplant surgeries. One is the FUE, which is when the doctor removes donor hair from another part of the patient’s head or even their back, chest, or legs. Each hair is transplanted one at a time during this kind of procedure. The other type of procedure is the FUT, which means “follicular unit transplantation.” In the FUT, the doctor will transplant strips of hair instead of just individual follicles. The chance of scarring in this second type is more considerable, but the FUT can also produce a thicker hairline because more hair is being used.
#5: Liposuction
Liposuction is still a very common cosmetic procedure for both men and women. Last year alone almost 259,000 men underwent this type of fat reducing surgery. It can remove pockets of fat in a number of different areas, but men in particular like to have this done in the stomach and flank areas. The flank area is where those “love handles” show up on the sides of a man’s body above his hips and below the ribs. This is done under general anesthesia where incisions are made in the desired areas, and the fat deposits are extracted using a surgical vacuum. Then after the surgery is over, compression garments are used to help with swelling and to allow the body to conform to its new shape.
#4: Botox and Facial Fillers
Botox and facial fillers(soft tissue fillers) are considered part of the minimally invasive category of cosmetic procedures. In looking at the number of men who had these types of injections performed it’s a whopping 10 million men. The most popular areas on the face are around the mouth, the sides of the nose, and the glabellar lines that show up deep between the brows. Botox is different from facial fillers in the way that the Botox injections freeze the function of the muscles in the face below the line or wrinkle, making it appear less noticeable. Facial fillers are soft tissue injections, under some brand names like Juvederm and Restylane, that are made of material containing hyaluronic acid. Both can be done in a cosmetic office setting, fully awake, and without much pain in the process.
#3: Neck Surgery
Neck surgery is also called a “neck lift” or lower rhytidectomy. This is where men who feel self-conscious about a sagging neck can do something about it. When the neck loses elasticity it can also make the rest of the jawline look like it has less structure, which ages a person. There are two different types of neck surgery, limited and traditional. Traditional neck surgery is more extensive, but will produce a more serious change in the look of the neck as opposed to “limited” neck surgery.
#2: Eyelid Lift
The eyes are an area of the body that definitely can show a person’s age. This surgery is sometimes called an “eye rejuvenation” or the technical term is a blepharoplasty. In this procedure, which is performed under general anesthesia, the eyelids have extra skin that is removed and tightened. This can also reduce the appearance of bags under the eyes and wrinkles around them. The scars in the procedure are very well hidden, and most of the time an eyelid lift will give a refreshed appearance to the face that looks quite youthful.
#1: Rhinoplasty
A good old-fashioned nose job or rhinoplasty is still very popular with men. Many times men have played sports over the years and have injured or broken the nose area. This can leave it crooked, or with an unattractive bump that can be improved with a rhinoplasty procedure. Some men have this done because of a deviated septum that is also causing breathing issues, so it’s often not an entirely cosmetic procedure. It’s performed under general anesthesia, and usually the patient will require a few weeks for the swelling and bruising to heal.
Dr. Sieber is one of the best double board-certified plastic surgeon in the San Francisco Bay Area specializing in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the face, breast, and body. With his professional training and dedication to patient care, patients look to him for the peace of mind that they are receiving first-class care for their procedure.
