Chicago plastic surgeon says 'less of a taboo' for men to go under knife

Men saving face

04/20/2011 10:00 PM

By PATTY HASTINGS
Medill News Service

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The face of modern man is changing — thanks to an increase in male cosmetic surgery.

More than 50 percent of Americans approve of plastic surgery, according to the New York City-based American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, turning once-discouraged procedures into common means for men to stay competitive in the workplace.

Dr. Otto Placik, a plastic surgeon at Body Sculptor, located on Michigan Avenue, recently removed belly and neck fat from a 47-year-old Chicago professor.

“Every time I would look in the mirror that would bother me,” the professor said. “Photographs were even worse to me. When the camera catches you … that always messed with my head more than anything.”

Even after daily workouts that included a rigorous abdomen routine, the 6-foot tall 180-pound professor couldn’t get rid of his gut. So, he forked over $7,000 for belly liposuction and $3,000 for neck liposuction.

When people asked the professor about his stomach, he would tell them, “It’s not serious, I just needed to get rid of something that didn’t belong.”

Apparently, disfigurements don’t belong in the workplace. Placik said the economic downturn has resulted in many baby boomers who would have otherwise retired to stay in the workplace. To compete with college graduates, some have updated their professional look with an aesthetic procedure.

Facelifts are the fastest growing male cosmetic procedure, showing a 14 percent surge from 2009 to 2010, according to the Arlington Heights-based American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

As men age, fat on their face drops, accentuating bags under the eyes.

Placik said the need to stay competitive doesn’t just affect the older crowd. He injected a college-age Abercrombie model with Botox to accentuate his cheekbones.

Placik said men often try non-invasive procedures, including Botox or “fillers” to enhance bone appearance, before undergoing plastic surgery. The number of men undergoing this wrinkle treatment reached 337,000 in 2010, up 9 percent from 2009.

“There’s less of a taboo associated with (cosmetic surgery),” said Dr. Loren Schechter, a plastic surgeon who practices at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston.

Chicago surgeons say there’s also less of a physical risk to cosmetic surgery.

Better monitoring equipment and safer anesthetics and procedures make people more comfortable about going under the knife, said Placik. With shorter recovery time, drugs wear off faster and allow people to get on with their lives.

The Chicago professor was back to the gym within a week of his belly surgery and just a few days after his neck surgery.

Placik said almost all of his tummy tuck surgeries were admitted overnight while he trained at Northwestern University.

The 10 fastest growing male cosmetic procedures are facelifts, ear surgery, soft tissue fillers, liposuction, breast reduction, eyelid surgery, dermabrasion, laser hair removal and laser treatment of leg veins.

In the past, breast reduction and liposuction were considered unmanly. Now, they’re more common and encouraged, said Schechter.

The Chicago professor is hesitant to tell others that he got work done. However, if he knows someone is struggling with his or her personal appearance, he tells them about his experience and encourages them to consider their plastic surgery options.

While men such as the professor still account for only 9 percent of all cosmetic surgeries, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, their place (and their face) in beauty and health is transforming.


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