Plastic surgery has long been perceived as almost exclusively aimed at women, but for some years now there has been an increase in the number of men who turn to surgeons to improve their physical appearance. The latest ISAPS (International Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) data show that in 2016, 1,606,653 cosmetic surgery (15.4% of the total) and 1,657,601 cosmetic medicine treatments (12.5% of the total) were performed on men worldwide.
As Professor Marco Klinger, Head of Plastic Surgery at Humanitas, points out: “Plastic surgery for men is different from plastic surgery for women. In addition to having obviously different shapes, men and women also have tissues with different characteristics, characteristics evident especially in the face: male tissues are more robust and richer in collagen, even in old age. It is therefore essential to take these differences into account in the surgical approach in male patients”.
Together with Professor Klinger, we see which interventions are most in demand by men. In first place the rhinoplasty, or interventions on the nose; in second position the blepharoplasty, including eyelids and any bags under the eyes; followed by the correction of gynecomastia, that is the imperfection linked to the appearance of male ‘breasts’.
Rhinoplasty: the nose
Nose surgery is the most requested by men. The desire is to give a more harmonious appearance to your face, which can be compromised by a nose that is too long, too big or that has a hump. The aesthetic correction is made by the plastic surgeon, who will take into account the front-nasal angle (created by the nose and forehead), the nasal-labial angle (created by the nose and lips), the opening of the nostrils (which should be equivalent to the distance between the eyes) and the length of the nose itself, which should occupy a third of the face. In the aesthetic correction of the nose, in the vast majority of cases men ask for the preservation of viral features, guaranteed, for example, by a squared tip of the nose and by an uncapped back.
The intervention initially involves intervening on the tip, where necessary, remodeling it (tightening, raising or lowering it, depending on the case), and then continuing inside the nose upwards. It then passes to the septum (which is corrected if, for example, it is deviated) and to the nasal bones, necking, fracturing and “recomposing” according to the individual needs. In the end, the result will be a symmetrical nose, without humps and proportionate to the other elements of the face, such as the chin and forehead.
The duration of the operation varies from 30 to 60 minutes; for 6-10 days after the operation, the patient must wear plastic protection. Once the brace has been removed, plasters should be used for 3-4 days to reduce swelling.
Blepharoplasty: the eyes
Eye bags, accentuated wrinkles and heavy upper eyelids are some of the defects in the eyes so men turn to the plastic surgeon. Rejuvenating the eyes means giving a younger appearance to the whole face. In men, however, to rejuvenate the face, it is often necessary to combine blepharoplasty with the infiltrations of botulinum, to intervene on the lines of the forehead and on those at the root of the nose.
Blepharoplasty can be performed with two techniques: transconjunctival and traditional. Transconjunctival blepharoplasty involves the removal of the fat present in the lower eyelids, and responsible for the “bags”, by means of an incision made on the inner part of the lower eyelid, the one in contact with the ocular globe. This is a rapid intervention (about 15-20 minutes), which is usually performed under local anesthesia. Due to the location of the incisions, there are no obvious scars. Usually the procedure is performed in young patients, who do not have the need to reduce wrinkles in the region around the eyes.
Traditional blepharoplasty aims to eliminate excess fat, muscle or skin; it is also generally conducted under local anesthesia. It can be performed on the lower eyelids only or on both lower and upper eyelids. When working only on the upper eyelids, the incision is completely invisible to the naked eye; when working both on the upper and lower eyelids, the cut is placed under the lashes and therefore is minimally visible.
In the 2-3 days following the operation there will be swelling and hematomas, which should disappear completely in about ten days; the duration of the effects of the operation is about ten years.
Gynecomastia Correction
Gynecomastia is an increasingly common disorder characterized by an increase in the volume of the male breast.
Depending on the seriousness of the situation, surgery may be carried out either by simple lipoaspiration, with the aim of eliminating the excess fat mass present in the breast, or by lipoaspiration associated with the removal of a disc of mammary gland, in the presence of a significant enlargement of the latter (due to poor nutrition or as a result of treatment with hormones administered to treat the tumors). The first approach involves the insertion of cannulas in some incisions made near the armpit with which to perform aspiration; in the second case, instead, it is necessary to make a cut along the lower edge of the areola, to remove a disc of mammary gland.
The operation lasts about 30 minutes and is performed under local or general anesthesia, the convalescence is very short.
Other male interventions
Other interventions required by male patients are the surgical correction of the ears, lipoaspiration of the hips (to eliminate the “love handles”), lipoaspiration of the abdomen, abdominoplasty (different from the previous intervention because it involves the removal of excess tissues, soft and falling) and face lifting interventions. This can be classic, i.e. complete and aimed at attenuating the signs of time on the forehead, eyebrows, temples, cheekbones and cheeks, or more often be limited to particular areas of the face. In this context, the coronal facelift is indicated for those who have deep wrinkles on the forehead or eyebrows and the temporal one to intervene on the temples and cheekbones, often in association with blepharoplasty.
