men going under
Do men age more gracefully than women? The case of Rick Perry
The title captured your attention, but I am going to say that the answer is “no.” As time marches on, we see graying of the temples in men (if they still have their hair), loss of facial fat, and sagging of the skin with deepening of the nasolabial folds (laugh lines) and jowls. Indeed, statistics released recently by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) show that more men are going under the knife. Overall cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in men were up 2 percent in 2010 compared to 2009. However, many male surgical procedures increased significantly such as facelifts rising 14 percent in 2010 while male liposuction increased 7 percent.
2010 ASPS statistics show that men underwent more than 1.1 million cosmetic procedures, both minimally-invasive and surgical. The majority of the top 10 fastest-growing cosmetic procedures for men were surgical in contrast to the previous explosive growth in minimally-invasive treatments. The rise may be due to the huge group of baby boomers now “coming of age” and wanting to do something about their appearance. Another trend plastic surgeons see is in men reaching retirement age who want to stay competitive with their younger counterparts in the workplace. They want to look good, and when they have the financial means to do it, they are ready to do it now.
Another trend plastic surgeons see is in men reaching retirement age who want to stay competitive with their younger counterparts in the workplace.
But wait—Joe Biden may be doing something about all of this. The Vice President often times has a very smooth forehead that sometimes appears a bit, well, frozen centrally…so is it Botox to the rescue? As the Times so eloquently remarked, “Time, heredity, sunlight, illness, smoking, good fortune and bad—all leave their marks on the face. People make instant judgments about one another’s age, health, mood, personality and character based on facial features, and yet we often judge unconsciously, not fully aware of the cues we’re reading. There’s more—and sometimes less—to aging than jowls, wattles and crow’s-feet.”
Consider politicians such as Joe Biden, Barack Obama and even Rick Perry. In a recent New York Timesarticle entitled “What’s In A Face At 50?", that very question is asked. President Obama has visibly aged while in office…note the greying of his temples, deepening frown lines and shadows under the eyes (it would wear on anybody!). Even Rick Perry has shown a bit of aging as time marches on in the presidential run…although pardon the author’s slight editorializing here when I say that Perry is genetically gifted in the looks department and so is one of those lucky individuals that doesn't need any work done (yet).
Besides just celebrities and high profile types who are notoriously more likely to opt for cosmetic surgery, these days even "average guys" and "men's men" seem to be more ready to go under the scalpel. Other cosmetic surgical procedures that are popular among the men are nose reshaping, hair transplantation and minimally-invasive procedures including chemical peel and soft tissue fillers.
Here’s the Top Ten Fastest-Growing Male Cosmetic Procedures by percentage increase in 2010:
1. Facelift – 14% Increase
2. Ear Surgery (Otoplasty) – 11% Increase
3. Soft Tissue Fillers – 10% Increase
4. Botulinum Toxin Type A – 9% Increase
5. Liposuction – 7% Increase
6. Breast Reduction in Men – 6% Increase
7. Eyelid Surgery – 4% Increase
8. Dermabrasion – 4% Increase
9. Laser Hair Removal – 4% Increase
10. Laser Treatment of Leg Veins – 4% Increase