Cosmetic Surgery for Men

By: Dr. Mitchell D. Kaye

Advanced Cosmetic Surgery Center of Kentucky

I’ve noticed that men are less likely to talk about their appearance than are women, but that doesn’t mean they are less interested in looking their best. Many men want to correct something that they never liked to begin with, like an overly large nose but most men that I see want to change something that has developed over time like a “spare tire” or baggy eyelids. The thinking that goes along with this isn’t hard to understand, we all want to project our best appearance to the outside world to improve our chances of success at work or to look good for the sake of being attractive. What always amazes me and provides me with a great deal of satisfaction is how much happier people are when their looks match up to their inner concept of their ideal appearance.

Liposuction: Number one on the list is a toned, fit and tight body. A roll of fat around the middle that won’t go away with diet or exercise, excessively large breasts or a double chin are a confidence killer for men. Liposuction is not a weight loss program, but it is highly effective at removing a disproportionate area of fat. By the way, targeted exercise to one area of the body, the belly for example, will not cause accelerated weight loss to that area. As long as the skin overlying the area will contract and shrink down over time, after the fat is removed, a liposuction session can change the shape of a man’s body dramatically. The simplest and best tested technique is Tumescent Liposuction (see last month’s article in Clarksville Family). It has an excellent safety record and has minimal downtime. Other technologies including laser, water or ultrasound assisted Liposuction do not add to the result but do add to the cost and complexity of the procedure, in my opinion.

Lipoabdominoplasty: This is a procedure that combines tumescent liposuction with the removal of excessive loose skin from the front of the belly to tighten up and define the appearance of the belly. Typically the areas treated are: the front of the abdomen above and below the belly button, love handles, flanks and pubic area as needed. This is an outpatient procedure and the patient goes home the day of surgery. Patients resume their work schedule in 7-10 days and exercise schedules over the 6 week period after surgery, depending on the type of exercise. When combined with a well thought out exercise and diet program, the results are often very dramatic and long lasting.

Male Breasts:If there is one thing men hate, it is having overly large or feminine appearing breasts. Once medical problems or drug side effects are eliminated as possible causes during a pre-operative visit, the majority of these men will benefit from Tumescent Liposuction targeted to the chest. A well performed male breast liposuction should take only an hour or two and have very limited post operative discomfort or down time. Results are immediate, but the final result will take several months as the skin of the breast undergoes the desired tightening in the post operative period. As in other forms of liposuction it is necessary to wear a compressive garment to speed this process along. It is unusual to need skin removal. Occasionally some firm breast tissue is left after the fat extraction and will require removal through a small skin incision.

Get rid of lines and wrinkles: As our skin ages and we contract our facial muscles over and over again, lines and wrinkles will form. The common areas are the Crow’s Feet around the eyes, deep forehead Worry Lines and Frown Lines between the eyes. Botox™ will relax the muscles beneath the skin and significantly reduce the overlying lines and furrows. This is an office procedure that takes about 15 minutes and has zero down time. It will require repeat treatments to maintain the result, typically every 4-6 months.

Skin Care: Most men will ignore skin care. Remember to use sunblock daily. If your skin is already severely sun-damaged or sandblasted come in to get some professional advice. It is effective and simpler than you think. It is not “make-up”.

Baggy Eyelids: Nobody wants to look tired or ticked off all the time, especially when you aren’t. Like it or not we read other peoples’ faces for clues about their emotional state. If you have deep bags or excessive eyelid skin, most people will often assume that you are tired, sad or angry. This can be corrected with a Blepharoplasty or eyelid tuck. The excess skin and bulging fat is removed and the fine lines and wrinkles can be improved with a peel. A man’s eye should look like a man’s eye and not a woman’s, so a little residual heaviness to the lids is natural and is often considered an attractive masculine characteristic. The procedure typically takes an hour or two and is performed as an outpatient. There is limited activity for 10 days but otherwise no significant downtime.

Protruding Ears: For some reason, ears that stick out too far are a source of needless ridicule and they can have a disproportionate effect on self-esteem. Kids are particularly cruel in this respect. Boys and men will have a hard time covering this up with their hair the way a female might. An Otoplasty will change the shape of the ears back to a normal contour. The results are permanent. Interestingly, once this is corrected nobody will typically notice it, except for the patient. People generally don’t notice normal ears, we just take them for granted.

For most men, the biggest hurdle is deciding to do something about these changes. Once you get past that, the options are better than ever and reaching your goal is a good bet.