Seattle Plastic Surgeons

More Men Going Under the Cosmetic-Surgery Knife

Plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures for men are on the rise, amid growing acceptance among both older and younger males of medical intervention to address appearance-related concerns, today’s Informed Patient column reports .

While many men are looking to correct facial features such as sagging chins, wrinkles and droopy eyelids, men are also turning to cosmetic procedures for other parts of the body to achieve a trimmer and more masculine appearance.  For example, there was a 6% increase last year in the number of men who had surgery known as gynecomastia, to remove enlarged breast tissue. Phillip Haeck, president of the American Society for Plastic Surgeons and a Seattle plastic surgeon who performs such procedures, tells the Health Blog that the condition is extremely distressing to many males, who may avoid ever being seen with their shirt off.

Such surgery must often be done with a combination of liposuction and surgical removal of breast tissue, with the amount of tissue that must be cut away sometimes as large as a baseball, Haeck says.

Statistics compiled by Haeck’s society show that men are also turning to liposuction in greater numbers.

In a 2007 study published in journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery , researchers found that men interested in both cosmetic surgery and liposuction reported poorer self-rated attractiveness and less comfort in a swimsuit than men not interested in the procedures. David Frederick, a co-author of the study, is working with collaborators on the International Body Project, examining cross-cultural preferences for muscularity in men; in almost all cultures, the study has found, above-average muscularity is considered the most attractive by both men and women.

While cosmetic procedures can’t enhance muscularity, they can trim away fat or enhance the jawline, Frederick notes. And the plastic surgery statistics show a small number of men received calf implants, to increase the size and shape of their legs, as well as pectoral and buttock implants.

Pittsburgh plastic surgeon Leo McCafferty says younger male patients tend to be fairly specific about what they want to change, such as a nose that’s too prominent or love handles that won’t  go away no matter how much they exercise. But he is also seeing a rise in middle-aged executives “who get a sense when they look in the mirror that they appear older than they feel, or someone has told them they look like they are tired or had a rough night, when neither one is true.

Choosing Between Saline and Silicone Breast Implants at Seattle ...

Choosing between silicone gel or saline breast implants is often one of the most confusing and difficult decisions Seattle breast augmentation patients must make.

Each implant material has its pros and cons, so there is no clear way to say which type of implant is best, and each patient must decide based largely on their personal goals and preferences.

Both silicone and saline implants can give you a natural look, particularly if the implants are placed under the chest muscles, however silicone breast implants have a reputation for providing a more natural feel.

This makes sense, given that silicone implants today are made of a cohesive gel material that more closely mimics the weight and suppleness of natural breast tissue than liquid saline solution.

Patients who are very thin or have little natural breast tissue to cover their implants are often good candidates for silicone gel implants because the implants are softer and less prone to rippling, allowing for a more natural look and feel.

Patients with pronounced asymmetry in the size of their natural breasts may also be good candidates for saline implants, as the volume of saline solution in each implant can be adjusted to even out the breasts.

Saline breast implants are composed of an outer silicone shell and a filling of liquid saline solution. Because the saline solution can be added after the implant shells have been placed in the chest wall, the incisions needed to place saline implants are slightly smaller.

There are also more options as to where incisions can be placed with saline implants. Unlike silicone implants, which can be inserted only through incisions in each breast fold (inframammary incisions) or along each armpit (transaxillary incisions), saline implants can also be inserted through incisions around the border of each areola (periareolar incisions) and even through the belly button (TUBA incision).

Thus, saline implants result in smaller scars (about half an inch smaller) than silicone implants and offer more options for patients in terms of where their breast augmentation scars are located.

In 2006, the FDA ended a 14-year moratorium on silicone breast implants that was instituted because lawmakers felt there was insufficient evidence to rule that the implants were safe.

After years of rigorous testing, the FDA allowed silicone implants to re-enter the market because no scientific data had been produced to link silicone implants to systemic diseases they were previously assumed to cause.

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