Look closely at the smooth-talking salesman.
His face may reveal a secret.
Barely perceptible are tiny scars above his eyelids, fading testimony to cosmetic surgery he had in December. But you won’t see any scars on his forehead, where creases were removed in a forehead lift, because those incisions were made behind his hairline.
Bill, 41, went through multiple surgeries two months ago because he cares a lot about his looks.
“I’m very vain. I like to look younger,” says Bill, whose name has been changed to protect his anonymity.
Bill, a patient of Dr. Brian Davies in Akron, had a brow lift; upper and lower eyelid surgery; and liposuction of the neck, abdomen, love handles and thighs. He also had buccal fat, or fat pads, removed from his cheeks, resulting in higher-looking cheekbones.
According to the most recent study by the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, liposuction, eyelid surgery, nose reshaping and face lifts were the most popular cosmetic surgeries for men in 1997. From 1992 to 1997, liposuction tripled among men, and face lifts doubled.
In 1997, 14 percent of liposuction procedures were done on men, with 20,192 males operated on by American Board of Plastic Surgery surgeons. The same year, 13 percent of eyelid surgeries were performed on men, or 14,037 operations. Eight percent of face lifts were done on men in 1997, or 5,067 procedures.
Davies, who performs more than 1,500 cosmetic surgeries yearly, says 15 percent to 20 percent are on men. His number of male patients has doubled in the past 10 years, he says.
As cosmetic surgery becomes more acceptable for males, more men are having it than ever. But unlike women, they’re still not talking about it openly.
“Males are timid even to talk to me about it,” Davies says.
Some men are so secretive they refuse help, going home in a cab after cosmetic surgery that involves only local anesthesia.
“They take time off work. They don’t ever tell anybody they had it done,” Davies says.
“The ideal thing is to make a change so they look more rested, and people can’t quite figure out what the change is,” says Dr. Jim Lewis, director of Plastic Surgery Residency at Akron General Medical Center.
An increasing number of Baby Boomers in their 40s and up are opting for facial surgery to soften signs of aging. Face lifts and brow lifts alleviate tired or stern looks and create more youthful, rested appearances in men.
According to Davies, an aging face could mean discrimination in the work place.
“The general trend is to lay off people who are a little older and don’t look as nice,” Davies says. “People want to keep their edge.”
But the best cosmetic surgery candidates are those simply looking for personal satisfaction, doctors say.
When 42-year-old Doug Morton of Minerva, Ohio, saw a picture of himself last year, he didn’t recognize himself. Morton had been avoiding mirrors because he didn’t like seeing the 30 pounds he had added to his formerly small, athletic build.
“For the last 12 years I just let myself go,” Morton says. “I hadn’t been taking care of myself.”
After consulting with Dr. Lewis, Morton decided to have a face lift and lower eyelid surgery.
“I did it for the most selfish reason of all–to do something nice for myself,” he says.
His surgery cost less than $5,000, and most of the bruising was gone within two weeks. He doesn’t advertise his surgery but is open about it when people ask.
For younger men, cosmetic surgery for aging faces isn’t normally a concern. They seek liposuction as a way to perfect their bodies.
According to Lewis, most of the men he performs liposuction on are in their late 20s and early 30s. They’re the best liposuction candidates because their skin is more elastic than that of older patients.
Men who have liposuction done in problem areas such as the abdomen and love handles tend to keep the weight off those areas in the long term. Because those fat cells have been removed, subsequent weight gain is distributed more evenly throughout the body.
Chris Hamilton, 26, of Mogadore, Ohio, says no matter how lean he was or how much he worked out, he always had a small potbelly.
“I could work abs every day and it wouldn’t go away,” Hamilton said. “I couldn’t conquer it.”
In September he went to Davies for liposuction of his abdomen and love handles, which cost nearly $6,000. Hamilton lost 2 liters of fat and 2 inches from his waist.
“I feel a lot better,” he says. “I know by this summer I’ll have six-pack abs I can wear around. I know I had a little help, but I did a lot on my own.”
