Facial Surgery in Men

Why do men undergo surgery?

Man´s point of view toward the new globalized world has radically changed during the last decade. Diverse circumstances have allowed him not only to deeply enjoy his masculinity, but also to take great care of his image.
The virile image has suffered a complete change. Nowadays men acknowledge different alternatives that go beyond professional realization. In men, the desire to look better is related to the need of achieving an optimal physical, mental, and social welfare, to being more competitive upon facing labor challenges, and to recover the pride diminished by time. Men take great care about their appearance. Postmodern men know about technology, vehicles, and objects, sports and politics, as well as they spend more time and money on looking better. They attend the gym or practice sports more regularly, do their nails, care for their teeth, skin, and hair, and are more informed about fashion, and they are still men.

The popularity of plastic surgery for men has gained recognition in recent years. Masculine population who is interested in facial surgical procedures has increased. Men consider facial plastic surgery as a way to correct functional defects, to restore the youthful appearance, and to rid of a tired appearance. Although statistics show that the number of female patients attending facial plastic surgery is higher, men feel day by day more motivated into consulting the facial plastic surgeon.

However, there is no recent data as to the percentage of men in Colombia that recur to plastic surgery in Colombia, the statistics for visit to the surgeon show that the number of male patients that are decided to change their physiognomy by surgical interventions has increased in an approximate 20% in recent years. In 2004 Hispanic people visited the facial plastic surgeon more than any other race group. According to the Asociación Americana de Cirujanos Plásticos (ASPS), (American Association for Plastic Surgeons), in the U.S., the 11% of plastic surgeries were practiced in men. In the same way, non-invasive procedures, such as Botox, facial fillers, and the procedures with laser as facial skin rejuvenation (superficial or deep) have a great acceptance.

The male face

The skin on a man´s face is normally affected by direct sunlight exposure, pollution, and absence of a thorough routine of cleansing and hydration. Beard, daily shave, and the hormonal processes contribute to lessen the male dermis. As the aging process in males is usually different from women, it is just recently that men take care of their bodies, while women have done it for almost all human history. Postmodern life has made the human being face multiple circumstances that enable premature aging, such as everyday stress, unorganized food habits, toxic abuse (alcohol, smoking, and sedentarism). Fortunately, facial plastic surgery develops and analyzes its techniques permanently, looking forward to give the patient human support, more diverse alternatives of procedures, and a high quality with minimum discomfort.



The goal is to improve life level, keeping close attention to their integrity and enabling the exercise of ethics in the profession. Nowadays, the surgeon not only evaluates the patient according to his specialty, but also suggests him to consider his food habits, body activity, and daily life, to have excellent results.

Whereas men ask for just a single area of their face, the facial plastic surgeon considers the face as a whole and evaluates what kind of procedures suit their needs better, and which of these can help them to correct and minimize marks of time.



Each patient is completely different, that´s why it is imperative for the surgeon to undergo a thorough analysis of the male bone structure, skin quality and elasticity of tissues, according to the patient´s age, sagging skin, or wrinkle locating. Following a precise evaluation of the face´s particularities the surgeon designs and suggests a specific treatment that is planned along with the patient, usually by a visualization of the changes in the computer. Before any process takes place, the experienced facial plastic surgeon asks for a number of lab tests to confirm the patient´s physical state and medical history. Then the physician analyzes her/his antecedents and discards any possible complication. Today, surgical techniques offer a high degree of security and the percentage of complications decreases as the patient follows all medical indications and makes sure of visiting a medical professional.

Plastic surgery in men

Most of men who visit the facial plastic surgeon are concerned about the area around the eyes. They ask for the upper and lower eyelid surgery to remove the excess fat and drooping skin. Subsequently, the nose surgery (or rhinoplasty) is the second surgery men ask for, and in third place could be either chin reduction or facial rejuvenation. And finally they request the ear surgery (or otoplasty).

The three most demanded surgeries by men

According to Doctor Jorge Alberto Espinosa Reyes, physician and facial plastic surgeon from the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada and the Hospital Militar Central, with a specialization in Otolaryngology and member of the Sociedad Colombiana de Cirugía Plástica Facial y Rinología (SCCPFR), the Colombian Association for Facial Plastic Surgery and Rinology, the procedures for which men most ask for are:

1. Blepharoplasty: Eyelid and eye bag rejuvenation

The surgery for which men most ask for is the Blepharoplasty. Male lifestyle, sunlight exposure, and facial expression muscle contractions are factors that produce those characteristic lines around the eyes. The natural aging process affects the skin tone and the periocular tissues. Then eye bags and fat around periocular area appear. These symptoms cause an older and tired appearance. The blepharoplasty or eyelid correction offers an alternative to solution these problems. Adequately performed, this process is one of the most dramatic and permanent procedures that are used to minimize the process of facial aging. Patients report high satisfaction and the results are long lasting. Blepharoplasty is a procedure usually done on an out-patient basis and may take 1-1 1/2 hours.

2. Rhinoplasty: Nose surgery

The rhinoplasty or nose surgery occupies the second place in the study related to surgery for men. The nose can be modified for functional, either structural or aesthetic reasons. Besides, rhinoplasty corrects possible alterations and improves the natural face appearance. Men patients that visit plastic surgeon for a rhinoplasty usually seek a stronger-looking nose. These patients should be concerned about the possibility of a “too” feminine post-surgery appearance. Nowadays, and thanks to the use of high technology instruments, it is possible to do very precise alterations with highly satisfactory and natural results.
During the initial consultation photographs are taken and the possible changes are analyzed for the patient and the surgeon. Then a computer imaging study is developed so the patient may visualize the possible results.

3. Rhytidectomy: Facial rejuvenation surgery

The facial rejuvenation surgery, rhytidectomy or rhytidoplasty occupies the third place in the most requested surgeries for men. Men doubts respecting this procedure are centered in the fact that they do not wish to look “stretched” or “operated”. Nowadays, surgeon’s primary goal is to achieve natural results. However, the common use of the word “lifting” (the act of raising something) has been misunderstood, and it is read as “stretching”, mistake that has its origin in the erroneous translation of this expression from the English language. In facial plastic surgery , a “facial lifting” is a procedure for repositioning the facial skin. The plastic surgeon does a repositioning of the tissues in such a way that the normal elasticity of the skin is conserved. The latest endoscopic techniques and the use of the laser allow surgeon to make minimal incisions so the process of recovery and scarring is better and risks are minimized. The results of this technique usually are very natural. Patients report they have been asked if they changed their haircut, or take vacations, but nobody notices they have been in the surgery room

If you are thinking about undergoing a facial plastic surgery keep in mind: