The Secret Be Told, Men Get Aesthetic Treatments Too

It’s rarely discussed, shared or revealed, but often explored and performed: aesthetic treatments for men.

At Beverly Hills Aesthetics, between 20 percent and 30 percent of its client base are men, “straight and gay,” according to BHA. So is this a trend among men of all ages?

Data from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery report almost 10 million cosmetic procedures in 2009 (the latest date that data are available.) It’s no surprise that it reports women were the ones most likely to have aesthetic surgery. In fact, women in the United States had more than 9 million cosmetic procedures—more than 90 percent of the total. The most common procedures? Again, no surprise. The top 5 are breast augmentation, liposuction, eyelid surgery, abdominoplasty and breast reduction.

And men? Now this is interesting and surprising. Significant numbers of men are being cosmetically treated:

• Men, ages 35-50, had the most procedures. Almost 4.5 million; this represents 44 percent of the total.
• Men, ages 19-34, represent 20 percent of procedures
• Men, age 51-64, represent 27 percent
• Men, ages 65-and-over were 7 percent
• Men, ages 18-and-younger had 2 percent

And the most common procedures for men?

1. Liposuction
2. Rhinoplasty
3. Eyelid surgery
4. Breast reduction to treat enlarged male breasts
5. Hair transplantation

These data are similar and contrary to BHA’s patient profile. For example, at BHA, up to 30 percent of patients are men whereas the Aesthetic Society says 90 percent of procedures are women. When it comes to the most common procedures, BHA and the Society are similar, but in a different order. Men visiting BHA typically seek:

• Liposuction
• Laser hair reduction
• Facial BOTOX

From an age demographic, most of BHA’s men clients start at the age of approximately 30 years old and extend to about 60 years old.

One of the key decisions that any man should evaluate when facing excessive hair, facial sagging or wrinkles, or that growing “inner tube” around the middle of their bodies, is an aesthetic approach to their concerns. It is often less invasive, less costly and has a reduced recovery time.

For example, BOTOX for facial—we call it the BOTOX Lift—requires selectively lifting weakening downward-pulling muscles yet the BOTOX is placed within the skin NOT muscles. This is termed Intradermal BOTOX vs. conventional BOTOX. The effect of BOTOX injected in this manner contracts an area of the skin’s pores. Smaller pores result in a smaller skin surface area hence making skin more stretched out over the face. A “face-lift” and “stretching-out of wrinkled skin” is then achieved. BOTOX Lift not only creates a tighter, firmer and lifted face, it also gives a smooth, pore-less, whole-day-powdered looking face for months.

Liposuction? There are various non-invasive ways to conduct liposuction. One is called EZ Lipo, French “LIPOSCULPTING” technique that restores body contour and skin tone. It is performed under local anesthesia–the “Tumescent technique”–and eliminates the need for a tummy tuck. Another is Smart Lipo, performed with a tiny laser tip probe that dissolves fat without the need to perform suctioning. The procedure is bloodless, allows skin to maintain firmness, and is performed under local anesthesia. No stitches are required and leave virtually no unsightly scars. Smart Lipo sculpts small fat bulges of the abdomen, love handles, thighs, bra bulges, double chin and upper-arms. There are other lipo alternatives as well.

Laser hair removal? We’re able to do hair removal (including facial hair removal) that is permanent and is one of the most comfortable for the patient during treatment. What makes this approach so beneficial are its speed, accuracy and added comfort. The second approach is to use the IPL and Yag Laser, which best for darker skin and African-American Skin.

Men want to look their best too. There are numerous options that vary by cost, results and recovery time. Before deciding, dig into the options. Talk to plastic surgeons and aesthetic medical specialists.

You’ll be glad you did.