Men & Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic surgery has seen a significant increase in male patients that Dr. Sachse attributes to very competitive work-place and social environments. It probably reflects an increased awareness of cosmetic surgery and a growth in decision-making by men in elective health care issues. In the past it was known that almost all decisions about health care were made by women. An old joke was that if a man needed a urologist he asked his wife who to go to and she would ask her gynecologist! Times have changed. Men now take increasing responsibility for their own choices in health care and one aspect of this is men's increasing interest in cosmetic procedures such as facelifts, abdominoplasty, liposuction and a tightening/lifting of the skin of the chest called gynecomastia.

In the intense competition of today's business world, there is often a perception, correct or not, that an older person is less up-to-date and efficient. In an effort to remain young looking, many men have turned to cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery in men uses many of the same procedures as in women. However, because of the composition of a man's body there are many technical differences. The facial hair and thicker skin generally means a greater blood supply than in a woman's skin. The result is a greater risk of bleeding but fairly fast healing. In general, men tend to be less happy emotionally with the results of cosmetic surgery than are women.