Men undergoing cosmetic procedures in record numbers
HOUSTON - More men are undergoing procedures to enhance their looks than ever before. While some are doing it to advance their careers, others just want to feel and look their best.
"The stunning numbers that we are seeing, of men who are having plastic surgery and I'm talking about everything, not just surgery but Botox, fillers, lasers, so we definitely are seeing a rise in that trend, says Oculofacial plastic surgeon, Dr. Mirwat Sami.
The numbers are on the rise, after the pandemic changed the way many men see themselves.
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"All my patients will tell me every day is, ‘We notice how we look in meetings.’ Typically, if you think about when we look at ourselves in the mirror, it's a very static pose, but now with these ZOOM meetings, you're looking at yourself through every expression, every animation, so you're noticing a lot more" says Dr. Sami. "How many of us really look at ourselves while we're talking to people, but we're doing that so much more now because of ZOOM meetings and online meetings, so I think that's definitely caused a huge bump."
She treated Brian Harris at her clinic Houston Oculofacial Plastic Surgery. He recently retired in his mid 50s.
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While he no longer has to be concerned about being competitive in the workplace, he wants to look his best, as he and his wife document their world travels.
"My eyes were draping over the top, and my wife likes picture-taking. Every time you would see my pictures, one eye would be covered up and one eye would be open. That was kind of an odd look. Over time, it just continued to get worse and worse," Brian said.
So how does he feel about his new look after having surgery?
"I really do like it," Brian says smiling. "It makes me look younger. It makes me look more attentive. And now that I get a picture taken, at least my eyes are the same."
Dr. Sami performed upper and lower eyelid surgery – called blepharoplasty – on Brian, which tightened up all the skin around his eyes.
"Dr. Sami did a great job! I would definitely use her again. I was very impressed with the outcome," Brian says.
"That's really what they're looking for is just to look how they feel inside, which is just as vital as vibrant, energetic, relevant," says Dr. Sami. "I think that's really important for men. They look for something that's a little different than women. We all want to age gracefully, but with men, they're wanting to be really focused on, okay, my eyes make me look a little more tired, less alert, and I want to look how I feel inside, so they're very goal-oriented."
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Dr. Sami says it takes some planning to get the right plan for a man.
"You really want to keep that rugged masculine look. You don't want to feminize someone, so I think that's one of the concerns that men have is, 'OK, if I have this treatment done, or if I have this surgical procedure, does that mean it's going to feminize me?' ‘Will I look very different from what I normally do?’ So, I think that's a very important thing to address when it comes to men, and just overall doing something that's easy for them. They are low maintenance. They don't want to have to use too many products or have too much downtime," states Dr. Sami.
Brian sure is happy with his results.
"Well, we do a lot of traveling, and we're everywhere across the whole entire world, I guess. And it makes a difference," Brian says. "When you look younger, you look stronger and when you look stronger, you look healthier. And I think that has a trend that people take care of you better when you look better."