Page 15 - Indulge September 2017
P. 15
CoSmetiC SUrGerY
for the reSt of US
The modern face of cosmetic surgery doesn’t belong to a rhinoplasty — commonly known as a nose job; eyelid surgery;
celebrity or even someone who is rich. Gone, too, are the breast reduction; liposuction; and facelifts.
days where “having work done” meant you were a Hollywood
starlet hoping to erase years from your appearance. “Men are no different than woman in wanting to look
“The vast majority of cosmetic surgery patients are just their best,” Wahhab says. Whether it’s some stubborn belly
normal people who are looking to make an improvement in a fat that no amount of exercise will flatten or it’s smoothing
specific area,” says Dr. Samina Wahhab, an Allentown plastic out fine lines that have developed on a man’s face, they
surgeon who is also a member of the American Society of want their outward appearances to reflect what they feel on
Plastic Surgeons. the inside.
“Most of the time, my patients have areas of their bodies
that don’t reflect how they feel on the inside,” she says. “They Since 2000, the number of men having cosmetic surgery
are healthy, active people who feel that the face they see in has jumped 28 percent, according to ASPS. And in 2016,
the mirror is older than they feel. The fact is that cosmetic men made up 8 percent of all cosmetic procedures.
surgery is not really all about ‘vanity,’ but rather about looking
the way you feel and having a little help along the way.” MyTH: boToX and FiLLers Make peopLe Look Fake
Typical patients are regular people like the runner who has
excess abdominal skin after pregnancy and wants a tummy Injectibles like Botox and fillers are used to smooth out fine
tuck. Or the woman who has uneven breasts or ones that are lines and enhance areas, but are used to give a natural, more-
disproportionately small for the rest of her body. Or men who youthful look. Most people want a look as natural as possible,
have lost weight and are left with excess skin. not overdone like a mask. “We don’t ‘freeze’ expressions with
It’s all about looking and feeling your best. The changes Botox,” Wahhab says. “Fillers can be done to subtly recreate a
are often subtle and natural — so much so that others can’t natural, youthful look as well.”
tell there’s been a procedure done. But the procedures often
give patients a boost of confidence and help them feel more MyTH: cosMeTic surGery is Too eXpensive
comfortable with their bodies.
Wahhab also discussed a couple other common myths That simply isn’t true, says Wahhab. Depending on the
about cosmetic procedures. procedure and whether it’s surgical or noninvasive, cosmetic
procedures can be within reach of most budgets. There are
MyTH: onLy woMen GeT cosMeTic surGery also payment plans available as well.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, For example, in the ASPS annual survey, breast
the top five cosmetic procedures for men in 2016 were augmentation has a national average cost of $3,719, with
more than 290,000 procedures being done in 2016. Of the
minimally-invasive procedures, wrinkle treatment injections
had a national average cost of $385 — there were 7 million of
those treatments performed last year.
September 2017 • indulge | 15
