More Men Are Getting Liposuction
The number of men choosing cosmetic surgeries as a source of bodily enhancement has increased over the past several years
. Men made up 11% of the liposuction procedures done in 2008, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which is a one-fifth increase from the amount of procedures done in 2006.In 2008, a London publication, The Daily Telegraph, quoted Mr. Rajiv Grover, a consultant plastic surgeon and the secretary of The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, who said: "Five or six years ago if you looked at magazines aimed at men there were only a handful that were focused on grooming, health and lifestyle.
"Now there are almost as many as there are aimed at women. Men are being bombarded with the sort of role models that women have been for decades. Whereas in the past, age was a mark of experience, now our culture is moving towards one in which youth is increasingly celebrated.
"People want to look healthy and vigorous in the workplace, and as more people realize things can be done to improve these, they are seeking treatment."
The pressures of society to have physical attractiveness and youthful features, which women have felt for centuries, have in recent years had an increasing effect on the male population. Specialists believe this increase is due to a new trend of role models in popular culture who are depicted as young, lean, and energetic in the work place and in the media.
The procedure is different for men and women. The suction procedures are more intense for men in order to get the desired results because the male physique carries a higher percentage of fibrous materials in their fatty areas. Men tend to want to look etched with the illusion of more muscle while women desire a sculpting and smoothing effect. These wants typically raise the cost of liposuction for male patients as opposed to female patients. However, the elasticity of male skin is better able to hold the procedures in place than female skin.
Nose reshaping, eyelid surgery, and liposuction were the highest percentages of surgical procedures performed on men in 2008. According to the ASPS, 30 percent of men suffer from an abnormal condition of enlarged breasts, and most men suffer hair loss at an early age. However, among the top five male cosmetic surgical procedures performed in 2008 breast reductions and hair transplants made up the smallest percentage.
Women continue to create about 89 percent of the liposuction market. For this reason many surgeons understand the female body better than the male body. Some plastic surgeons in New York are devoting a large portion of their practices to male cosmetic surgeries in order to serve the rising interest. Careful research before choosing a doctor is encouraged.
by: Christian Heftel