Society for Aesthic Plastic Surgery has revealed a rising demographic in the cosmetic surgery arena: men.
Stereotypes aside, men have long been a small minority in the totality of the cosmetic surgery industry. While they still represent a small minority – 8 percent according to the ASAPS – their numbers are growing.
Last year, more than 750,000 procedures were conducted on men in the United States. The vast majority were in non-invasive procedures. Botox treatments were the highest, with more than 225,000 procedures, followed by laser hair removal at more than 118,000.
Of more invasive surgeries, lipoplasty lead the way at 37,183 followed by rhinoplasty, 30,099 and blepharoplasty, 20,675.
In a recent interview with Forbes Magazine, Dr. Lawrence Glickman of the Long Island Plastic Surgical Group, said men are looking at improving their looks and health in any way possible.
“It’s really for them to feel better about themselves and look as good as they feel. Lots of male patients are physically very fit, they’re going to the gym, they’re eating better diets, they’re staying out of the sun and yet they don’t look like they feel,” he said.
The increase in male patients, Glickman said, is a result of a new paradigm of beauty. Once kept in the shadows as a way of looking and feeling better, plastic and cosmetic surgery has become an acceptable form of enhancement. While it first became more acceptable for women, men are finding it OK to have various procedures, Glickman said.
His opinion resonates in the recent ASAPS study, which revealed that 49 percent of men and 53 percent of women approve of cosmetic and plastic surgery. Financing opportunities for procedures have become a popular was of deflecting the recent economic woes as well.
The most likely male group to receive cosmetic procedures is from 35 to 50 years old, making up more than 41 percent of all male patients last year. The next largest is aged 19 to 34 years old at 29 percent, followed by 51 to 64 year olds, numbering nearly 23 percent. Of the male patients to receive procedures last year, 81 percent were white, according to the ASAPS study.
These are the top surgeries for men, according to the ASAPS:
- Lipoplasty, 37,183
- Rhinoplasty, 30,099
- Blepharoplasty, 20,675
- Gynecomastia, 18,256
- Otoplasty, 10,949
Top five minimally-invasive procedures:
- Botox, 225,235
- Laser hair removal, 118,888
- Hyaluronic Acid, 69,788
- Laser skin resurfacing, 44,430
- IPL Laser treatment, 35,935