Cosmetic surgery is not just for women anymore, according to a local doctor.
Jay Dutton, a Willow Springs plastic surgeon with offices in Oak Brook, said he has been seeing more men coming in for work.
Studies have shown that plastic surgery can improve psychological well-being and other health factors.
“We have reached the point where men are seeing procedures as more useful,” Dutton said.
A Georgetown study showed that individuals who had minor procedures appeared more trustworthy. That Georgetown study, published earlier this year in the journal JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, found that women having cosmetic facial surgery were deemed more attractive and more likeable. The study notes that we subconsciously do facial profiling, where we gather information about an individual through his or her facial expressions and appearance.
According to Dutton, that shows the importance of facial appearance.
Dutton said more men are having rhinoplasty done these days to correct issues with breathing.
An ear, nose and throat specialist, as well as a plastic surgeon, Dutton said he expects a devise by Spirox, a California-based medical device company with German roots, to make nose surgeries less invasive to get Food and Drug Administration approval later this year. Dutton said treating deviated septums and other nose issues would be easier with the Spirox device as cartilage on the side of the nose would be supported during and after procedures and the device would lessen chances for nasal valve collapse.
The Willow Springs surgeon said improvements in the field have continued to make plastic surgery less invasive and more affordable. He said plastic surgeries of 60 years ago when people were bandaged up for two weeks after a procedure are gone.
Dutton said while closing the gap quickly, men are still a little behind women in being willing to have cosmetic procedures done.
“Men are still hesitant a little,” Dutton said.
Another trend Dutton sees is men’s growing acceptance of winkle-reducers, like Botox injections.
“We have gotten better with how we surgically inject patients,” Dutton said of the procedure.
Dutton, who said he does all injections in his office himself, noted that Botox normally lasts for six to nine months.
Botox is not just for cosmetic purposes, Dutton noted, stating that the procedure has been shown to be a benefit to migraine sufferers as well.
A factor in both more men and women getting more cosmetic surgery done is financing programs, like CARE plans, where individuals pay for procedures with a medical credit card.
Dutton said there are perfectionists who want something changed or repaired that he simply doesn’t see or can change.
“If it is not a condition I can do something to improve, I am not going to do the procedure,” said Dutton, who does about 180 procedures a year.
The Iowa native got exposed to cosmetic surgery when doing a rotation in the discipline at medical school at Indiana University.
“I did a one-year facial surgery rotation and I’ve been doing it ever since,” Dutton said.
A plastic surgeon since 2000, Dutton said cosmetic surgeries need to be tailored to each person.
After 15 years in the business, Dutton said he still gets warm feelings seeing a person embrace his or her new look.
“It never gets old,” Dutton said.