The Rise of Males Interested and Engaged with Plastic Surgery

The stigma surrounding plastic surgery has significantly diminished in recent years. There are many variables as to why (notably, a major increase in non-surgical procedures and aesthetics trending toward the natural) but they center around something that isn’t so new: people want to age gracefully and look great throughout life.

With the diminishing stigma comes a new growing population of plastic surgery patients: men. Botox, fillers, and non-surgical fat removal, to name a few, are procedures men have realized they can take part in and receive huge returns. They’ve realized that plastic surgery does not mean altering your look to the point that the changes are obvious. The options today are subtle and meant to refresh your look, not reimagine it.

Board certified plastic surgeons Dr. Dustin Reid of Austin and Dr. Adam Hamawy of New Jersey discuss the entrance of males into their specialty and what they offer in their offices to refresh and rejuvenate the modern male aesthetic.

A Diminishing Plastic Surgery Stigma

Plastic surgery has seen it’s share of time in the negative spotlight, being branded in the past as pure vanity with media stories that focus on the worst results rather than subtle great ones. As cultural shifts take place with the now abundant access to information, more and more people have realized that plastic surgery is something else. In addition to more would-be patients discovering the merits of plastic surgery, the specialty now offers numerous non-surgical procedures that allay fears of recovery and the operating room.

A segment of the population that really enjoys avoiding surgery is men. “Plastic surgery in general has become more accepted,” shares Dr. Hamawy. “More women are getting it, and more men are getting it. It makes you look better and feel better! It helps them at work and it helps them at home.”

“Society has loosened,” explains Dr. Reid. “Men want to look better, they want to look younger. There’s not a stigma associated with the desire to look more attractive; the stigma associated with plastic surgery has diminished. It’s just natural then that men are turning to plastic surgeons.”

Looking Natural, not Done

The plastic surgery patient pool has greatly expanded, thanks to a variety of minimally-invasive and non-surgical procedures that avoid downtime and surgery. While women certainly love these procedures, the piqued interest of men is significant. The power of Botox and fillers cannot be overstated when it comes to refreshing the face in middling years without any sort of surgery involved.

Men who before were worried about losing their edge of masculinity have realized that a Botox injection can not only preserve how they feel inside, but show it on their exterior. “We have so many options now that are non-surgical,” says Dr. Reid. “Even our surgical procedures have gotten to the point where they’re more natural.”

The natural aesthetic is now important, and this is especially true for men. While they are increasingly less scared to enter the offices of plastic surgeons, they absolutely want to maintain a natural look no matter what happens. “They just don’t want anything that’s going to make them look in any way feminized, or lesser of a man than they were before,” says Reid.

Non-surgical procedures are really where the increase in male patients has taken hold. Options like CoolSculpting allow patients to come in during a lunch hour and have fat removed non-surgically. A brief stop over after work for a Botox and filler injection can wipe away years of stress lines and wrinkles, all before heading to the gym for a workout. These kinds of situations really interest men, especially considering the results are effective and preserve their masculinity.

“No one wants to look done, especially men,” shares Dr. Hamawy. “They don’t want people to find out that they’ve had it. They’re also looking for less downtime; they want to get back to work soon. Those are things now, with our new technology, that we’re able to provide.”

A Guiding Hand from Girlfriends and Wives

Both Dr. Hamawy and Dr. Reid have discovered that many men wind up in their offices due to their significant others suggesting it. Female patients who’ve had Botox understand both the amazing results and the process. “I’ve found some of the spouses and girlfriends are dragging their husbands and boyfriends to the office and saying, ‘Hey, you need Botox!’ shares Dr. Hamawy.

The excitement with the female suggestion is because the procedures work. Not only do they work, but they preserve what people look like naturally. They’re fast, effective, and relatively inexpensive, all bundled in a package that requires no downtime – no missing the gym nor work. This is huge for men, but ultimately it is what they find in the mirror that keeps the male population steadily heading through the doors of plastic surgery practices.

“They may be a little reluctant in the beginning, but, like everyone else, pretty soon they’re hooked,” concludes Dr. Reid. “They enjoy the look of looking refreshed and younger.”