- More men are getting plastic surgery, according to Miami-based doctor Adam Rubinstein.
- Hair transplants and liposuction remain the most popular procedures for men.
Plastic surgery is no longer just a woman's game, as more men are heading to the doctor to chisel their jawlines and define their abs.
Adam Rubinstein, a Miami-based board-certified plastic surgeon and former chief of surgery at Jackson North Medical Center, told Insider he's seen an uptick in men coming into his practice over the past few years. Men account for 8% of all cosmetic procedures, per the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, but Rubinstein said nearly one in five of his patients are male.
"Plastic surgery in general has gotten more accessible, and because of that, we're seeing more men coming in with an interest," Rubinstein told Insider.
Rubinstein revealed the top 4 procedures trending among men right now, and shared his predictions on the future of plastic surgery for guys.
Liposuction and 'fake ab' surgery remain popular among men
Rubinstein said liposuction is by far the most requested procedure among men, as it's generally the most popular cosmetic surgery in the US.
During liposuction, plastic surgeons permanently remove fat cells from certain parts of the body. The surgery is designed to help people get rid of fat in stubborn areas, like the chin or belly, that can't easily go away from diet and exercise.
A form of liposuction that's hot right now among men is called "abdominal etching surgery," which creates the appearance of a toned six-pack by removing fat around where the ab muscles are. Rubinstein said in the past, men would only get "fake ab surgery" for a Hollywood-style 8-pack, but nowadays his patients are more interested in a natural-looking result.
"You can't quite tell if they've been in the gym three hours a day for a year, or they were in the operating room for three hours one time," he said. "That's more what people are looking for."
Buccal fat removal for a chiseled jawline is hot right now
Buccal fat, or cheek fat, removal is trending among younger male patients, Rubinstein said. For the procedure, surgeons make an incision inside the cheek to remove fat, which creates a more defined jaw and cheekbone.
Buccal fat removal is one of the several treatments Rubinstein performs to give men a more defined jawline. He's also used injectable fillers and Botox to sculpt his patients' jaws.
Surgeons go about buccal fat removal surgery in men differently than in women, Rubinstein said. Too much cheek fat removal can give the appearance of high, defined cheekbones. While this might look attractive on women — think Angelina Jolie — it can be unnatural on men.
"There's a fine line between looking a little bit slimmer and looking gaunt," he said. "You just need to be sensitive to that as a surgeon, you don't want to be too aggressive."
More men want face lifts and anti-aging treatments to keep them looking younger
Rubinstein said face lifts have become more popular among his male patients, many of whom are working later in life and want to "compete" with younger candidates for job positions. During a face lift, doctors tighten up skin that sagged due to aging by pulling it up and snipping off the excess.
Rubinstein said he expects anti-aging treatments for men to boom in coming years. Advancements in topical and injectable treatments that stimulate collagen production will allow patients to prevent their skin from aging before they even need a face lift, the doctor said.
Fewer patients are travelling internationally to get hair transplants
Hair transplants, where doctors take hair follicles from the back of the scalp and place them on balding areas, has historically had a lot of interest among men, but early techniques were "awful at first," Rubinstein said. In the past, the procedures would often lead to scarring and unnatural, "mediocre" results.
But surgeons have improved the technique and results are much better, which has led to an increased demand for hair transplants, per Rubinstein. And though men often travel to places like Turkey to get hair transplants done for cheap, patients are increasingly choosing to stay in the US and pay a premium for a possibly more qualified doctor closer to home.
"If you've gotta go back to a place like Turkey from the United States to go treat a problem that you've got after a procedure, it's not such an inexpensive option anymore," Rubinstein said.