The pressure to look younger is on and more men than ever are heading to the plastic surgeon’s office seeking out age-defying cosmetic procedures. While the cosmetic surgery industry is typically seen as one driven by women, the reality is that thousands of men across the country undergo some form of cosmetic procedures each and every year.
The number of men seeking out advice from a cosmetic surgeon to improve their appearance has skyrocketed in recent years. In fact, this is borne out by official statistics. Stats released last year by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) show that the number of men requesting both surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures increased dramatically in 2014 by 43%. The ASPS also reported a 273% increase in the number of plastic surgery procedures performed on men since the organization began tracking statistics in 1997.
The reason? “Men are spending more time and money on their appearance than ever before,” says Toronto-based facial plastic surgeon Dr. Cory Torgerson. At his own private cosmetic surgery practice in Toronto’s trendy Yorkville area, Dr. Torgerson has witnessed a steady increase over the last five years in the number of men seeking both surgical and nonsurgical procedures. “In the last three to five years, there has been a surge of men who want to look better, more attractive, and more rested,” says Dr. Torgerson, noting that these days approximately 45% of his patients are men.
Dr. Torgerson isn’t alone. The ASPS figures show that cosmetic surgeons everywhere have never had so many male clients.
Of course, the trend of men seeking cosmetic procedures shouldn’t be surprising. Although guys may be less open about maintaining a healthy, youthful appearance, there is certainly no denying that the modern man is more self-aware than a decade ago.
Today, men feel anti-aging pressures and are more interested than ever in putting their best face forward. Looking good no longer means a quick shave with a disposable razor and some bargain shaving cream, and it’s not unusual for a modern man’s grooming regime to include hair dye, exfoliating scrubs, expensive serums, and manly eye creams. Men are stepping up their game when it comes to maintaining a youthful appearance, so a surge in men undergoing cosmetic procedures was the next step.
So why are men suddenly so willing to focus on their appearance? After all, it wasn’t that long ago that seeking the advice of a cosmetic dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon was considered unmanly and uncharacteristically vain.
Dr. Torgerson explains that the definition of masculinity has evolved and there is a growing cultural acceptance of men having work done. This acceptance means that men are more comfortable seeking out a variety of different procedures for different reasons.
Those reasons? Dr. Torgerson says that men have two simple motives when seeking out surgical and nonsurgical procedures: they want to improve their appearance and slow down the hands of time or they want to stay competitive in a youthful job market. “There is an increase in the number of men looking to improve their looks to remain competitive not only personally, but professionally as well,” he explains. “In today’s competitive workplace it’s no wonder that men are turning to cosmetic surgery to improve their looks, helping them appear more energetic and enhance their self-confidence and self-esteem.”
Dr. Torgerson also notes that most men are goal-oriented and reasonable in their demands. They just want to look better than they currently do. That may mean smoother looking skin, fuller cheekbones, a stronger jawline, and a more confident chin.
Currently, the most common surgical procedures for men include facelifts, rhinoplasty (nose), blepharoplasty (eyelid) and hair transplants. As expected, middle-aged men are most likely to undergo these common surgical procedures. But, more and more men of all ages are also seeking less invasive, nonsurgical quick fixes with minimal recovery like laser hair removal, chemical peels, Botox injections to smooth out frown lines and volumizing facial fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm to fill in sunken cheeks.
The appeal is easy to see. In general, nonsurgical procedures cost half a fraction of surgical procedures, with injections costing a few hundred bucks. Plus, recovery is quick – slight bruises may appear, but bandages and downtime are rare – and most people go back to the office immediately after.
Times are changing and men just want to look their best. It’s the declining stigma around these minimally invasive nonsurgical procedures that seems to be ushering in a new age of men seeking out treatments to correct what they see as flaws — or minimize age-related changes like frown lines and crows feet, just as some women have previously done.
“The stigma still exists,” Dr. Torgerson says. “But I think we are becoming more accepting of men seeking cosmetic treatments.”
The growing number of men embracing the ability to take charge of their appearance and fight off the signs of aging with a little help obviously agree.
