Aging baby boomers who want to look their best and stay competitive in the job market have led to an increase in men undergoing plastic surgery.
According to statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, cosmetic surgery procedures in men were up 2 percent in 2010 compared to 2009, and some surgical procedures showed significant increases, including facelifts, up 14 percent, and liposuction, up 7 percent.
Dr. Phillip Haeck, the society’s president, said the increase in facelifts is largely driven by men in their 50s and 60s.
“That’s the leading edge of the baby boomers,” he said. “These are really fit people who have paid a lot of attention to keeping their bodies in shape.” But, he said, they’re getting a “turkey neck,” which is something exercise won’t get rid of.
“This generation has paid a lot of attention to how they look, and they don’t want to grow old gracefully,” he added.
Haeck has had men come in for procedures because they want to appear younger while looking for work. He said men have told him: “You’ve got to do something to help me because I need a job and I’m afraid I’m going to lose out because people are going to think I look too old.”
By volume, nose surgery remained the number one surgical procedure for men, and Botulinum Toxin Type A (Botox, Dysport) was the top non-surgical procedure. Here are the top five procedures for men:
2010 Top Five Male Cosmetic Surgical Procedures
- Nose Reshaping
- Eyelid Surgery
- Liposuction
- Breast Reduction in Men
- Hair Transplantation
2010 Top Five Male Minimally-Invasive Procedures
- Botulinum Toxin Type A
- Laser Hair Removal
- Microdermabrasion
- Chemical Peel
- Soft Tissue Fillers
Dr. Jonov is a cosmetic surgeon who specializes in plastic surgeries of the face, breast, and body at Seattle Plastic Surgery.
