Cosmetic surgery for men
What do we mean by cosmetic surgery for men?Cosmetic surgery for men includes any operation of cosmetic surgery and any treatment of cosmetic medicine aiming at eliminating or reducing both the congenital blemishes and the blemishes resulting from the normal ageing process of the body.Nowadays, more and more men resort to cosmetic surgery and cosmetic medicine. Men apply to the plastic surgeon mainly to get a better-shaped nose, a younger face, a toned abdomen, or to increase the size of some parts of the body (e.g. cheekbones or calves) by means of implants. What are the surgical operations most in request by men?The operations of plastic and cosmetic surgery most frequently requested by men are the following:1) AbdominoplastyAbdominoplasty allows the removal of the excess skin and fat from the upper and lower parts of the abdomen and the tightening of the muscles of the abdominal wall.A tummy tuck allows a significant improvement of the appearance of a pendulous and/or protuberant stomach by removing the excess skin, the localized depot fat and by eliminating the flabbiness of the abdominal muscles. 2) BlepharoplastyBlepharoplasty is a surgical procedure that allows the correction of defects such as drooping upper eyelids, fat bags and dark shadows, which make the eyes look tired and the face older, sometimes interfering with the vision.The cosmetic surgery of the eyelids consists in removing the excess skin and fat inside the upper and lower eyelids and in repositioning the drooping eyebrow. Through blepharoplasty it is also possible to modify the shape of the eyes by lifting and/or repositioning the lateral corner of the eye (the so-called canthoplasty and canthopexy). 3) GynaecomastiaThe term "gynaecomastia" is used to indicate the presence of a mammary gland unusually developed in males.Although we rarely hear about it, it is a very frequent blemish within the male population, which may cause embarrassment in the interpersonal relationships and a strong feeling of insecurity. The volume increase of male breasts may depend on:
Face-liftFace-lift allows the face to look youthful by eliminating the blemishes caused by the too much exposure to the sun, the everyday stress, the unhealthy eating, the effects of the gravity force and the ageing process, which involve variously deep wrinkles around the eyes and between the nose and the mouth, with flabby cheeks and depot fat located mainly around the chin and the neck.Face-lift allows these blemishes to be eliminated by removing the wrinkles and the excess fat, repositioning the facial muscles and stretching the skin of the face and of the neck. 5) Liposuction and liposculptureLiposuction and liposculpture are cosmetic surgery operations to which men are more and more resorting in order to have a better body and remove the undesired depot fat from specific areas such as the abdomen, the sides, the gluteal region, the thighs, the knees, the upper limbs, the chin and the neck.Liposculpture derives from liposuction in that it makes use of microcannulas to "sculpt" very selected areas of the body. Although body contouring surgery does not replace diet and physical exercise, liposuction and liposculpture allow the removal of the localized depot fat that cannot be removed otherwise. 6) OtoplastyOtoplasty is a surgical procedure that allows the repositioning and the contouring of prominent ears (the so-called “sticking-out ears”, “flapping ears” or “jug-ears”), the correction of congenital or post-traumatic defects (absence or partial or complete loss of the ear, too small or too large ears, too wide or too long lobes, etc.) and of the outcomes of radical operations on the auricles due to the removal of tumors.7) Chin and cheekbone implantsThe chin and cheekbone contouring surgery allows the shape and the size of the chin to be modified, thus improving the features of the face and the appearance.More precisely, the cosmetic surgery on the chin allows the increase - through solid silicone, Goretex or Medpor implants (additive mentoplasty) - or the reduction (reductive mentoplasty) of the size of a chin that is too small, too large or too wide. Instead the cosmetic surgery of the cheekbones allows the volume increase or the contouring of the malar area (cheekbones) by means of solid silicone, Goretex or Medpor implants, the injection of absorbable or permanent fillers or through lipofilling. 8) Calf implantsThe cosmetic surgery that increases the volume of the calves allows the shape and the size of too small calves to be modified.This kind of surgery is more and more in demand by men, especially by body-builders who do not manage to achieve a sufficient volume of the calves in spite of the physical exercise and the correct diet. 9) Rhinoplasty and rhinoseptoplastyRhinoplasty allows the shape and the size of the nose to be modified, , thus improving the features of the patient’s face, but without distorting its appearance.More precisely, the cosmetic surgery on the nose allows the size of the nose to be increased or diminished (too small, too large, too wide), the shape of the dorsum (saddle or hump) and of the tip (too wide, too narrow or too long) to be changed, the width of the nostrils to be modified and the angle between the brow and the nose or between the nose and the upper lip to be changed. With this operation it is also possible to correct post-traumatic or congenital defects, as well as breathing difficulties. If the breathing difficulties are due to nasal deviation, it is necessary to undergo a "septoplasty" operation at the same time, in order to contour and reposition the deviated nasal septum. 8) Hair transplantHair transplant is a surgical operation which allows the transfer of a certain amount of hair bulbs of the patient himself from one area of the scalp to another.The hair transplant operation consists in excising a strip of the scalp, taken from the occipital region, and in reimplanting the single hair bulbs, accurately selected, in the areas to be transplanted. The treatment is normally performed under local anaesthesia, lasts a few hours and is absolutely painless. The operation does not require any kind of dressing and the patient can resume all his normal activities within 48 hours. The cosmetic result achievable by hair transplant is natural, long-lasting and repeatable. What are the cosmetic medicine treatments most in request by men?The cosmetic treatments most frequently requested by men are the following:1) Hyaluronic acidHyaluronic acid is an absorbable filling material which is used in cosmetic medicine to correct:
2) CollageneThe collagen-based treatment with filling material injections (fillers) is indicated to correct:
3) DermabrasionDermabrasion is a treatment that allows skin irregularity to be improved by removing the outer layer of the skin, thus making it smoother and more regular.Through dermabrasion it is also possible to correct scars and the superficial wrinkles of the face and around the lips, as well as to improve post-acneic scars, although no treatment will manage to eliminate them completely. 4) PeelingsPeelings are chemical solutions which allow the skin of the face to be improved and smoothed by removing the outer layers damaged by pathological events such as scars, acne, precancerous lesions, etc., as well as by hyperpigmentation or by the ageing process (wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity, etc.).According to the skin layer which they act on, peelings are divided into superficial, intermediate and deep peelings. Superficial peelings, such as glycolic acid, lactic acid, etc. allow the most superficial wrinkles of the face and the hands to be removed, the skin to recover elasticity, the small skin marks to be removed and the post-acneic scars to be improved. Intermediate peelings allow the less superficial wrinkles of the face to be eliminated and the skin marks and the small keratoses to be removed. Deep peelings, phenol-derived and used in various concentrations, allow the deepest wrinkles of the face to be eliminated, the skin to be completely renewed, the skin marks (even the largest ones) and the precancerous lesions to be removed and the post-acneic scars and marks to be improved. 5) Botulinum toxinBotulinum toxin is a medication that allows the temporary inhibition of the mimic muscles of the face, thus reducing the formation of worry lines.Botulinum toxin is indicated for treating the dynamic wrinkles of the upper part of the face (brow and periocular region), even though this medication has been approved only for the treatment of glabellar wrinkles - that is the wrinkles occurring between the eyebrows. Botulinum toxin can also be used to reduce excessive sweating. The effect of mimic muscles relaxation and wrinkle reduction begins 4 days after the treatment and lasts between 4 and 6 months, after which it is possible to repeat the treatment periodically. If you wish to take this subject further, we advise you to visit the gynaecomastia FAQ page, where you will find the answers to the most frequent questions asked by the patients. |
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Chirurgia-plastica-estetica.it Prof. Mario Dini Chairman and Director of Plastic Surgery Dept. - University of Florence |
