Men's Nip and Tuck: A New Frontier

Gone are the days when good grooming for men meant simply clipping toenails and the occasional shave. Men are now flocking to day spas, nail salons, hairdressers, cosmetics counters, personal trainers and cosmetic surgeons offices. By the thousands they are feeling the corporate crunch of downsizing, and looking good often equals remaining competitive in the job market. Today's man is also becoming attuned to what women have known throughout the ages: that looking good on the outside makes one feel good on the inside.

Men now comprise 10% of the cosmetic surgery population. According to Dr. Donald Kress, a prominent Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in Frederick, MD, "men's reasons to opt for plastic surgery are as varied and numerous as women's. For the younger patient, rhinoplasty has become the mainstay in plastic surgery in teens, and that now includes males. For the older patient, the core reason to opt for surgery is competition in the workplace. The harsh reality is this: signs of aging usually set in long before a man is ready to wind down his career and, society is very youth conscious. Those who remain looking fit are able hold onto or ascend in positions of power longer than those perceived as aging and worn out, regardless as to whether that is actually true." With the downsizing of corporate America, cosmetic rejuvenative surgery is becoming more acceptable as part of the overall out placement process.

Which procedures are men asking for? They too are as varied as those women request. Men are regularly visiting plastic surgeons for upper and lower eyelid tucks, facelifts, laser resurfacing of fine wrinkles, body liposuction, and even scalp stretching to pull hair covered scalp over a bald spot. And if you were to ask who the more difficult patient is, a man or a woman, the answer will surprise you. Men are more features specific. For instance, a man may want removal of the bags below his eyes and neck contouring but very little pull of the check jowls that may detract from a more competitive look. Are men as brave as they would have women believe? Not really. Men are generally less tolerant of pain and less accepting of the recovery time needed for cosmetic surgery. They want to come in, have the procedure done, see pleasing results, and return to work immediately, while women seem to understand that there will be some level of discomfort and inconvenience during a recovery period. "

Thread Lift - One of the earliest signs that men and women are maturing occurs when the middle part of the face looses its underlying attachments and droops with gravity. The change from fullness of the cheeks to fullness of the lower face is perceived as older and less vibrant. As the cheek fat pads begin to droop the lines along side of the nose and from the corner of the mouth deepen and become much more prominent. Jowls can also form along the jaw line contributing to the aged, tired, and haggard look. These changes can occur in spite of a healthy and active life style. They are stubborn and resistant to treatment and often begin in the 30’s. The "threading" technique requires the surgeon to "thread" 6-18 barbed, permanent sutures through a hollow guide into the skin and the deeper soft tissue. This procedure does not pull the skin too tight and will not produce that taught, windblown look. Results are natural and show a restorative and refreshed type of improvement.


Liposuction-As we get older, certain areas of the body are less responsive to diet or exercise. In women it is usually the saddle bags and lower abdomen. For men, the troublesome areas tend to be the abdomen and the (love handles) flanks. By suctioning fat in the stubborn areas, men over 40 can achieve the flat stomach they had in their youth. The procedure can be performed with local/IV sedation and patients need not stay overnight in a hospital. Recovery entails the wearing of a support garment for several weeks. There will be bruising and swelling post-operatively, and men can generally return to work within 4 days.

Chin Liposuction- As men age, they tend to develop a jowly "turkey gobbler" appearance. Often, a full facelift is not required and liposucting the chin can give the jaw line a stronger, more masculine appearance. is that this is really a fairly simple procedure. The only external incision is very small, just a fraction of an inch hidden under the skin crease of the chin. The entire procedure can be done through this tiny incision, rendering it a virtually bloodless procedure. During the surgery, the skin itself is undermined and freed up from the underlying tissues of the neck. If there is fat in certain areas, a gentle, conservative liposuction is performed taking care not to overdo it, in order to maintain normal contour. General anesthesia (and the risks associated with it) is not necessary.

Blepharoplasty- In traditional transcutaneous lower lid blepharoplasty, incisions are made just under the eyelashes. Excess fat, responsible for the baggy lower lids, is then removed. The excess skin is then surgically removed and incisions closed with sutures. These sutures either dissolve or are removed within several days after surgery. With this procedure, an incision is made inside the lower eyelid. The excess fat is then gently teased out and the incision closed with dissolving sutures. This technique has been ideal for patients who don't have a great deal of loose skin in need of removal.



While plastic surgery among men increases by leaps and bounds, it is still not as much a major topic of conversation among men as among their female counterparts. Often, individual patients simply do not know what to expect. During the first few weeks after surgery, the patient can actually look worse than before the operation. Men are also less likely to cover post-operative bruises and scars with makeup, an option available to women as early as one week following surgery. Plastic surgeons should discuss this beforehand with all patients -- especially men, who, unlike women, have often not had the experience of "going through" the process with a friend.

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Some of Dr. Kress' professional memberships include:

American Society of Plastic Surgery
American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
American Society of Lasers in Medicine and Surgery
Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
Lipolysis Society of America
The American Association of Anti-Aging Medicine

For more information about men and plastic surgery or to speak with Dr. Donald Kress, please feel free to contact Meghan Berger at KMR Communications, Inc. at 212-213-6444 ext. 17 or meghan@kmrcommunications.com