“According to a recent piece for the Los Angeles Times, the number of men undergoing plastic surgery procedures has gone up 121% since 1997”– shared Dr. John Apostolides on his web article “Plastic surgery for men on the rise as social acceptance and workplace pressures increase” (2012). Nowadays, men are also turning to plastic surgery hoping to stay updated with the fashion trends of the 21st century. Society has established as a norm that we should aspire to look as young as possible. For a long time, this was mostly applied to women, but men are starting to feel that too. A patient of Dr. Bob Murphy, President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, said that one of the reasons that motivated him to get a plastic procedure was to stay physically attractive to his partner. The most popular surgeries or esthetic procedures for men are the rhinoplasty, the facelift and the hair replacement surgery– exposed Dr. Bob Murphy.
Years ago, men weren’t motivated to undergo plastic surgery for the same reasons they do today. Dr. Martin Donohou said in the web article “Women’s Health in Context: Cosmetic Surgery Past, Present, and Future: Scope, Ethics, and Policy” (2006), that surgery used to be considered as a necessity for men in case of malformations, burn injuries, reconstruction after malignancy surgeries, disfigured areas, or for cosmetic enhancement. It’s good to remember that in the 1960’s men were usually interested in increasing their muscle mass. This goal got popular because steroids had recently become available on the black market. Bodybuilders and non-athletes were curious and its use got out of control. Steroids have really bad implications for a person’s health. They can increase the body’s risk of infection, cause insomnia and mood changes, weight gain, eye problems, diabetes, and the list goes on. Nowadays, muscles are still pretty popular between men, but so is having the perfect jaw, the perfect skin tone and the perfect hair style.
As a psychology student, I believe that the most important thing is that a person feels confident with who they are and what they represent. Even though plastic surgery might seem like a person is rejecting how they look, if it truly makes their lifestyle better and it makes them happier with their own self, then I believe plastic surgery is the right choice for that person. Investigations found that plastic surgery exalts the confidence and self-esteem of the person who underwent it. It’s recommended to get informed before accepting any cosmetic procedures and going to a known and licensed plastic surgeon, considering that many people have died from infections and complications caused by inexperienced doctors who do the surgery for cheap.
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