Let’s address something right away: Facial plastic surgery is not a gendered practice. There’s no exclusively male or female right to feeling good about yourself and your outward appearance. We all want and deserve to find self-confidence, age with grace, and showcase on the outside how we feel on the inside.
While cosmetic surgery is open to all sexes, the reality is that historically women have been a larger audience for plastic surgery. That’s a function of modern American culture. However, men are increasingly coming around to the idea of nonsurgical cosmetic procedures and facelifts.
Through working exclusively in facial plastic surgery for more than 25 years, Dr. Brent J. Smith knows that “significant others” tend to introduce men to facial cosmetic surgery. That makes sense, given the number of women today who have had a cosmetic facial procedure. 
Often men experience their girlfriends, wives or partners starting to look—and feel—younger after a facelift. All of a sudden the females in their lives have a newfound zest—they’re more social and energetic. While men may still be a little hesitant to admit it, they want that too! And at Smith Cosmetic Surgery, we think they should have it.
Dr. Smith is a great asset in showing men what they can achieve through facial cosmetic surgery. He has carefully chosen his own natural-looking enhancements over the years and truly defines the way men can have a more dignified, healthy-looking appearance without sacrificing masculinity.
The topic of traditional notions of masculinity is a great place to start a deeper discussion about other issues men confront when considering plastic surgery. With this in mind, let’s look at some of the top concerns, misconceptions and realities in men’s facelifts, plastic surgeries and nonsurgical procedures.
Without creating new stereotypes, in general there tends to be a big difference in how men and women deal with any type of surgery—namely emotions. In our experience, we’ve noticed that in most cases male patients tend to focus on outcomes and are naturally more competitive. When it comes to having a facelift, this translates to things like wanting to see results quicker than what might be realistic. Men are also inclined to define “winning” as healing faster and getting back to work quicker. At Smith Cosmetic Surgery, we help patients establish realistic expectations regarding results and recovery time.
Facial plastic surgery is accompanied by some discomfort and unfamiliar sensations, especially during the healing process. At Smith Cosmetic Surgery, we have plenty of professional tools and methods, such as anesthesia and a high-tech recovery system, for managing the uncomfortable times. But everyone has a different threshold for pain. Knowing that there will always be nuanced mental and physical aspects to how each individual processes pain, we walk all of our patients through these parameters and guide men and women in how to plan for the surgical and post-op experiences.
Once men decide they’re ready to move forward on crafting a younger look, they sometimes struggle with understanding which procedure will be right for them. Dr. Smith is a great resource for streamlining this decision-making process. He has spent nearly three decades learning the distinct differences in male and female facial structures. While mini facelifts work in a similar fashion on both sexes, there are subtleties in enhancement and complementary procedures that are singular to men. For example, male brow and eye areas, as well as the chin and jowls, are distinctly different and can therefore shift outcomes when included in the surgical process. Some of our most common men’s procedures include:
As we’ve already addressed, it’s a common occurrence for men to follow the women in their lives in making the choice to have plastic surgery. We see this as an entirely positive trend and believe that couples that frame this in a healthy way may actually improve their relationships. At Smith Cosmetic Surgery, we refer to it as aging gracefully together—and facial plastic surgery provides a platform to move forward. Rather than watching a significant other flourishing after a facelift and feeling envious, whether outwardly or unconsciously, making the pro-plastic surgery decision together can help couples feel like they’re on the same path—and planet—for the future.
Finally, men are catching on that surgical as well as nonsurgical maintenance procedures like BOTOX®—often referred to as Brotox for guys—are perfectly acceptable for any sex. In fact, we’d argue that fillers and laser enhancements might be even more important for men, because unlike women they don’t typically have the advantage of makeup to cover imperfections. As those deeper-set lines are etched in men’s faces from years of repetitive expressions and sun exposure, wrinkles only appear more prominent. While facial hair may cover some signs of aging, men’s facial lines are exposed. Starting to schedule regular, nonsurgical procedures like BOTOX can begin to halt wrinkles from going any deeper.
One of the ways we like to introduce men to facial plastic surgery is by treating functional issues on the face first. For example, Dr. Smith regularly sees men who elect for a preventative treatment on a precancerous lesion. But perhaps too many hours on the golf course without proper sunscreen have led to some serious sun damage and premature wrinkling too. If that’s the case, Smith Cosmetic Surgery can design a plan that will address existing skin issues (function) while also generating a computer model showing how further work could make a man look like a more youthful version of himself (form).
However men come to facial plastic surgery and nonsurgical procedures that can help turn back time, we welcome them. Smith Cosmetic Surgery wants people to know that looking good is not defined by gender.
For more information about facial plastic surgery and nonsurgical services, or to schedule your personal consultation with Dr. Smith, please contact us today.
