[A505]American Plastic Surgery Association

Why do men undergo plastic surgery? That answer is not always obvious and, most of the time, is different than that of women. While the overall number of plastic surgery procedures performed in men is up, women still far outnumber male patients in most practices across the country. While male often undergo some different plastic surgery procedures from women, their motivations are also often different and reflect the male 'pattern of thinking'.

While both men and women undergo plastic surgery to look physically better, you have to dig beyond this obvious level to understand what their true motivations are. The desired physical concerns or desired changes are just a reflection of their unspoken concerns. Generally speaking, most women undergo plastic surgery for internal self-image motivations. They want to fell better about themselves. Correcting a physical flaw is one approach to self-improvement. (and perhaps the easiest?) Whether it is to have a breast augmentation to look better in clothes or to have a facelift to not look old, women seem to be much more concerned about doing the surgery truly for themselves. I hear this over and over...'my husband says I look fine the way I am'...or...'my friends say I look fine'. But yet, women want to have the surgery anyway...because they to effect an internal self-image change. Men, conversely, often undergo plastic surgery because they want things. Whether it be to have more women, sex, money or power...it most always deep down is motivated by a desire for external or more tangible things. As a plastic surgerycorollary to 'Men are Venus, Women are from Mars'...Women do things for themselves, Men usually do things for somebody else. or other external raesons.

Men undergoing plastic surgery also are different from women in other ways as well. They usually are not interested in complex procedures that involve any significant recovery, they are usually less compliant than women and follow postoperative instructions poorly, their response and tolerance to pain is often more pronounced, and they often are more critical of the results. (or they are at least more vocal) Much of this has to do with the general greater impatience of men who want to get to the final result quickly...and usually more discretely. This is why smaller more subtle procedures for men are often better, even if the result is not as significant. Men get no accolades, and certainly little support, in society for suffering through a plastic surgery recovery. And the aging of men is generally better accepted in all societies. Women, conversely, garner more empathy if they are suffering to look more 'beautiful'. In fact, our society expects them to do so.

The handling of the male plastic surgery patient, I have found, is quite different from a female patient. And not all plastic surgeons can work well with men. They often require more time and patience than most female patients. And the demands of the younger male patient are higher than that of an older man. The young male patient, who often is more consumed with his personal appearance, can be quite demanding and is most likely to require more than one surgery to make happy.