Discover Five Steps all Male Plastic Surgery Patients Should Follow

In the past, plastic surgery was often thought of as a “female procedure” since the image of cosmetic surgery over the years has focused on females having a procedure to change their appearance. This is not always the case as more men are undergoing plastic surgery in an attempt to enhance their appearance as well as gain more self-confidence.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there were more than 1.3-million plastic surgery procedures performed on male patients in the year 2017. In addition, the five year period leading up to the 2017 numbers saw male liposuction increase by 23\\%, male breast reductions rose by 30\\% and tummy tucks gained in number by 12\\% overall.

Social Media and Male Plastic Surgery

According to medical experts, social media is one of the big reasons male plastic surgery is on the rise. Men look at their selfies and start to notice what bothers them about their features. They also turn to social media to view before and after photos of patients on different plastic surgeon websites. They look at the photos to get a better idea of the changes that can be made through plastic surgery and to view the natural results that can result from having a procedure.

Reasons for Male Plastic Surgery

In general, men under the age of 40 are seeking treatments such as:

• Botox to reduce wrinkles and smooth the skin
• Male breast reduction to get rid of their “man boobs”
• Rhinoplasty to reduce the size of the nose and provided balanced facial features
• Liposuction to eliminate stubborn fat and contour the body

Men over the age of 40 are often looking to have a neck lift, facelift or a tummy tuck to rejuvenate their appearance and tighten skin that is loose. They also want to maintain their masculine look and have an athletic appearance. 

There are other differences between the results desired between male and female patients. While men want to maintain their chiseled appearance after liposuction, women like to retain some of their curves. Women who undergo breast surgery still want the breasts to be a prominent part of their feminine appearance while men are looking to flatten the appearance of the male breast.

Five Steps for Male Plastic Surgery

For men looking to have plastic surgery, here are five tips to make the process easier:

1. Do proper research – According to Dr. Douglas Hendricks, MD FACS of Newport Beach California, male patients are encouraged to look for a surgeon that is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. These doctors must have years of specialty training and are also re-certified by the board every ten years. Dr. Hendricks says patients must “ask specifically which board the doctor is certified in. This is because of a phenomenon called practice drift. With the tightening reimbursement from managed-care and the large insurance carriers, there has been a migration by quite a few doctors away from insurance-based care into the arena of cosmetic surgery which is mainly fee-for-service. This migration away from the core specialty training is called practice drift. For example, someone who is board certified in emergency medicine may be injecting Botox, fillers and even performing laser treatments and other more invasive procedures for which they have not been adequately trained but they can still claim they are board-certified. These doctors are operating outside of their scope of training. This problem has become extremely difficult to enforce by already overwhelmed state medical boards. Specifically ask the receptionist or staff if the doctor is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. It is also important to confirm the answer by doing a name search for the doctor on the American Board of Plastic Surgery website.”
2. Schedule a consultation appointment – One of the most important steps in the plastic surgery process is meeting the doctor in person. This is the chance for the surgeon to examine the patient in person and determine if he is an ideal candidate for plastic surgery. It is also the time to discuss the overall goals of the surgery and set realistic goals so the patient will not be disappointed by the final results.
3. Examine before and after photos – As mentioned above, male patients should visit the websites of doctors to see the results of their work.  These photos often show the results from multiple angles. Make sure the photos are consistent in terms of using the same background and the same amount of light. These consistencies help others view the results in a natural manner.
4. Overall good health – A male patient that wants to have plastic surgery should be in overall good health before having the surgery. Overall, male patients have a higher rate of heart disease as well as high blood pressure. These conditions can be a health risk during plastic surgery so any and all health conditions or concerns should be discussed with the surgeon during the consultation appointment discussed above.
5. Reviews are important – The amount of good reviews a doctor has online can give a person a good idea of how the doctor is viewed by their patients. Like anything in life, there will likely be some patients that leave less than complimentary reviews so reading as many reviews as possible helps the decision making process. Dr. Hendricks recommended “checking Yelp for reviews and making sure the majority of them are favorable. No one gets five stars every time. Therefore if patients see a 5.0 then something is not right. If the average is between 4.2 and 4.6, and the number of reviews is greater than 25, it is probably a large enough sample size to indicate how people relate to the doctor the patient wants to select. Also, be certain that the reviews reflect some patients who have undergone the same procedure the patient is considering.”

Male plastic surgery is on the rise as men hope to rejuvenate their appearance and feel confident about the way they look. If they follow the steps listed above, the chance of being satisfied with the final results are greater than simply searching for a doctor and scheduling an appointment in the hope that things turn out okay.

MA