A recent news article states that “In two 2021 reports from The Aesthetic Society and the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the top cosmetic surgical procedures for men were identified as rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, cheek implants, breast reduction, liposuction, tummy tuck and ear surgery.”
The rise in popularity of male cosmetic procedures (both surgical and non-surgical) has been a noticeable, if very gradual, trend over the past 25 years of my own cosmetic practice. To some extent it may be linked with a rise in men’s anxiety over their appearance – fuelled largely by social media – but the trend can also be partly attributed simply to men’s growing realisation that such procedures are available and can be performed on men as well as women.
It’s worth pointing out that male breast reduction is often not primarily a cosmetic procedure, but in fact a Medicare-rebatable treatment for a recognised medical condition: gynaecomastia. While the main impact of this condition may well be psychological – male sufferers often report “never wearing a tee-shirt/never going to the beach” – it’s also possible that the proliferation of female mammary tissue may increase a man’s risk of eventually developing breast cancer. Yes, whilst it’s exceptionally rare, male breast cancer is actually a thing!
I have treated hundreds of men in my career and I feel that as a fellow male, I can relate to the specific appearance concerns of patients who identify as men, with the same non-judgmental attitude as I adopt for any other gender group. It’s entirely legitimate for a man to present with an appearance problem that bothers him and that he wishes to have fixed.
For more information regarding male gynaecomastia/breast reduction surgery, please click through to my info page.
The original news article can be read here.
© Dr Tony Prochazka 2024