For the Fellas

Male Plastic Surgery Trends in Australia and the U.S.

Eyelid Surgery

More and more men are placing a high value on how they look. To quote George Orwell, “At 50, everyone has the face he deserves.” But it seems that more and more Aussie men think that they don’t have to grin and bear it.

While there are no hard data on the number of men who have had cosmetic surgery in Australia, the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons Media Resource Folder indicated that over the last ten years, men’s aesthetic surgery was on the rise. Plastic surgeons across Australia even estimated that at least 20% of their patients are men. The men that would most likely seek cosmetic surgery are in the 40-49 age brackets.

There is a similar trend occurring in the US. As reported by the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), there has been over a 100% increase in cosmetic procedure for men between 1997 and 2012. In 2012, almost 10% of plastic surgery procedures were done on men and the most popular procedures, according to the ASAPS report are as follows listed according to the order of preference:

  • Nose reshaping or Rhinoplasty
  • Eyelid surgery
  • Liposuction
  • Breast reduction for men
  • Facelift

Common reasons why men undergo cosmetic surgery

Reasons vary from man to man, but the most common reason why men seek cosmetic surgery is the desire to turn back the hands of time: bring back or maintain their youthful looks. An article in Financial Review mentioned how cosmetic surgery is described as “surgery of the psyche” in the book In Your Face. The term denotes that cosmetic surgery in not all about the body but an affirmation of identity. According to the article, the book also explains how surgery alters the way people feel about themselves.

But why do men want to look younger than their actual age? Most of the reasons given are:

For their profession/career
Because employment and career prospects are getting tougher due mainly from younger competition, there are men who want to perpetuate and advance their careers by having a facial or body rejuvenation. They want to appear sharp and alert to ensure that they are able to stay on the job. These men don’t want to be perceived as old or that they’ve gone out of style as compared to the younger guys who are like a pack of wolves waiting for them to make a misstep.

For reasons of the heart
The increase in Australia’s divorce rate in couples married after 20 years could also be a factor that drives men to seek cosmetic surgery to look better and preserve their youthful appearance. Divorced guys in their mid-years who are in search of a new partner or maybe simply want to re-enter the dating jungle would want to present a good front.

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