5 Wrong Assumptions About Plastic Surgery

Like almost everything else in life, plastic surgery just happens to be one of the topics where people make assumptions. These assumptions tend to stem from word-of-mouth or just a lack of information. If you haven’t noticed, we’re all about talking about and debunking common plastic surgery myths here at SpaMedica. Below are a few widespread assumptions and comments that we hear about various procedures, so we wanted to share some insight and answers to them.

Assumption #1: Botox gives a frozen face

Botox has long had the reputation of giving people that frozen, startled look. A lot of people will think of celebrities who had not so great results after Botox injections like Nicole Kidman. That stems from overdoing the treatment which results in an unnatural appearance. Botox treatments shouldn’t erase all movement in your face—ideally, it’s meant to soften lines or wrinkles.

With your plastic surgeon, you’ll decide where you want to see improvements on your face. By injecting just enough units of Botox in your areas of concern, your end results should look natural and not frozen. And if your treatments are done well, no one should even know that you had anything done.

Assumption #2: I can use my friend or family member’s fat to transfer to my own body

Procedures that involve fat transfer like Brazilian butt lifts or fat grafting to the breasts require taking fat from one area and then transferring it to the butt or breasts. You can’t use someone else’s fat in these procedures. Your immune system simply can’t recognize another person’s fat and would reject their fat if this was attempted. Even if you have an identical twin, there’s still a possibility that the fat would be rejected. Another risk of using someone else’s fat is disease transmission.

Assumption #3: Men don’t get plastic surgery

Women are the ones who are always pegged as the ones who are most concerned with their appearance. With this mindset, the assumption is that women are the people who undergo plastic surgery. According to recent statistics from a RealSelf survey, men have been increasingly seeking plastic surgery procedures. 73% of doctors say their male patients have increased in the last year. 

These men are most interested in:

1. Botox and fillers
2. Eyelid surgery
3. Body contouring procedures
4. Male breast reduction

Men are now more open about wanting to maintain their appearance and will undergo treatments if they feel compelled to.

Assumption #4: Liposuction will help me achieve my target weight

Liposuction is often seen as a method to lose a lot of weight. That’s easy to assume, but it’s simply not the case. Liposuction is a body contouring procedure that removes fat from specific areas on the body for a slimmer looking physique. The procedure is ideal for patients who are at their ideal weight but still have some problem areas like love handles.

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after rhinoplasty at SpaMedica.

Assumption #5: I’ll see my final results right after my plastic surgery procedure

For many plastic surgery procedures, your final results won’t be seen immediately. That’s because there’s a recovery period where there’s swelling or bruising. Take for example rhinoplasty. This is a procedure where patients are required to take at least a week off from work to recover. Rhinoplasty patients should be aware that there’ll be ongoing improvements with their nose that can take up to 1 year to settle. The nose changes greatly over the course of 2-12 months, especially in the nasal tip area. After that, patients can see their final results.

What are some other assumptions you’ve heard about plastic surgery? Let us know and maybe we can address it!

Men and Body Image Issues: What No One Is Talking About

Does this image look familiar to you? It probably does. The Dove Campaign for Real beauty which was launched in 2004 is meant to challenge limited notions of what beauty means and empower women of all ages, colours and sizes. Sure, this social movement for women is important for discussion on body image and perceptions—but what about men? Do they even have body image issues? Do they even get plastic surgery?

Of course they do. We just don’t talk about it very much.

By focusing on female bodies so intensely, men and body image issues are easily overlooked. There’s insane pressure for women to look a certain way, and some men feel this pressure to a certain degree as well. The standard created by society for men is to be at least six feet tall and muscular but lean—which pretty much describes Ryan Gosling. As a woman, even I know that’s unfair. However, not all women would agree with this ideal.

The study below reveals that men think women like a muscular body when they actually prefer an ordinary body.

Men and Women Don’t Agree on the Ideal Physique of a Man

According to the study “Body Image Perception Among Men in Three Countries”, the authors found that men in their 20s in Europe and the U.S desired a body that was about 28 pounds more muscular than themselves. They also assumed women preferred a male body about 30 pounds more muscular than themselves.

Fascinated by these results, the authors presented images of male bodies to 43 college women in Austria. They asked them to choose which body they preferred. Instead of picking a muscular body, they chose average-looking bodies. As noted by the authors, the men think women like a certain body type when they actually prefer an ordinary body. 

Men and Body Image Disorders

Men aren’t immune to body image disorders. Muscle dysmorphia is a disorder in which a person worries about looking too frail or weak. Even if they are already muscular, they constantly fear they look too weak and compulsively exercise. This disorder can interfere with a person’s job, studies, friendships and relationships as they obsessively worry about what others think of their “small” bodies. 

Source: bodybuilding.com

In another study, 24 men with muscle dysmorphia answered questions related to their habits and behaviour. Half of them said they spent more than three hours a day thinking about their muscularity. One man said he missed his high school reunion because he was afraid people would mock his “smallness.”

Men Demand Cosmetic Procedures Now More Than Ever

More men are willing to change their looks through cosmetic procedures now. For the longest time, it was generally assumed that men don’t feel compelled to get plastic surgery like women do. That’s not the case now. Since 2010, there have been dramatic increases in these procedures for men: blepharoplasty, male breast reduction and facelifts. Since ASAPS started collecting statistical data in 1997, they’ve seen a 273% increase in the number of procedures performed on men.

While we don’t talk about men and body image as often as we should, it doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem. The lack of attention on this topic indicates that we as a society don’t see this problem significant—yet. Who knows, maybe there will be a campaign for men and masculinity in the future? It may be a stretch but it would certainly be refreshing to see. 

The Main Reasons Why Older Men Get Plastic Surgery

When it comes to beauty and looks, women are normally pinpointed as the ones most occupied or concerned by it. But they’re not the only people who spend time and money on their appearance. Increasingly more so, it’s men in their 40s and 50s who are shelling out cash to stop their signs of ageing.

However, not everyone agrees with men getting plastic surgery. Male celebrities like Liam Neeson and George Clooney have made public statements about their reluctance of ever getting plastic surgery. Clooney shared his thoughts on men dyeing their hair and getting plastic surgery in a BBC interview:

Source: Popsugar.com. George Clooney shares his opinions on men and plastic surgery.

I’ve seen it happen—particularly on men—I don’t think it really works; I think it actually makes you look older. I’m a big believer in the idea that you can’t try to look younger. You just have to look the best you can at the age you are.

Neeson was later quoted in the Daily Mail saying “Ageing should be done gracefully. I agree with George that the best way to grow older is not to get any work done to your face.”

Let’s not forget these guys are major celebrities though—they’ve made a good living and should be well off if for some reason they never landed another movie role. That’s not quite the case for regular folks. There’s pressure to look young or attractive in the workforce.  That’s one of the main reasons why older men get treatments like Botox; they want to look youthful to compete with colleagues who are decades younger.

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the number of men getting surgical and non-surgical treatments in 2014 went up by 43% compared to the previous year. To put that further in prospective, the number of procedures performed on men has increased by 273% since ASAPS began collecting statistical data in 1997. 

Men in upper management positions make up most of the male clients at SpaMedica.

Dr. Mulholland, a Toronto plastic surgeon, says most of the male clients he sees are in upper management or senior positions at work. He says that men are subject to ageism, as women have been for so long. “These men are seeing signs of ageing that make them look tired, which projects lack of confidence or lack of ability to negotiate in the boardroom,” says Dr. Mulholland. To top it off, younger male colleagues “nip at their heels” and are more than ready to climb the work ladder.

Another big reason why older men seek treatments is that they want to attract younger women. Men in their 60s who are freshly divorced find themselves back in the dating market. Dr. Mulholland says these men tend to gravitate to women in their 30s or 40s. That alone is enough to push men to look into cosmetic treatments.

Most men tend to avoid surgical procedures—the most popular non-surgical treatment for men at SpaMedica is Botox. Laser treatments to smoothen wrinkles and skin are also popular. ASAPS reports that blepharoplasty, male breast reduction and facelifts have increased dramatically over the past 5 years for men, though.

So let’s cut the ladies some slack. Men are increasingly preoccupied with their looks and it’s mainly for work or romantic opportunities.

3 Areas Where You Won’t Lose Fat Without Plastic Surgery

Losing weight is a tough feat that requires a lot of discipline, but what if you’re looking to lose fat in specific areas like your arms or neck? This is called targeted exercise or spot reduction—but according to science, it doesn’t work. You can’t choose specific areas like your chin to shed your fat. Factors like genetics determine where you’ll see weight loss on your body. So unfortunately, those obscure chin exercises like tilting your head up and down won’t help in getting rid of a double chin.

Intense workouts that help you shed body fat overall helps, but sometimes it doesn’t help in specific areas of the body and face. Below are some areas where fat builds up, but can’t always be reduced through exercise.

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photos of a patient who had BodyTite liposuction to her neck and chin.

Chin

Ever had someone take an unflattering picture of you from a lower angle? It’s a pretty easy way to make you look like you have a double chin.

Looking like you have a double chin in photos might suck, but what if your double chin is just something you’ve always dealt with? Sometimes a double chin is related to carrying excess weight, but it can also be hereditary. If you see that a few of your family members also have double chins, chances are that it’s in the family.  Age is also another factor in having a double chin. As we get older, our skin and muscles loosen. When the muscles around the chin and neck loosen over time, the chin and neck lines aren’t as defined anymore.

What to do about double chins: Neck liposuction helps define your chin and neck area. Newer liposuction techniques like SmartLipo, BodyTite or VaserLipo reduces the amount of fat under your chin and tightens your skin all at once.

“These procedures are performed under local anaesthesia with light oral sedation and a very small incision under the chin. These various techniques use laser energy, ultrasound energy or radiofrequency electrical current to liquefy the fat internally and create some heat. It stimulates skin and dermal contraction,” says Toronto plastic surgeon Dr. Mulholland.

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photos of a patient who had blepharoplasty.

Under Your Eyes

Spot reduction sounds like it can work (it doesn’t), but there’s no way you’re going to get rid of the fat under your eyes through targeted eye massages and exercises. Fat under the eyes can make someone look older or more tired than they actually are. This thought isn’t the same in all cultures—this article reports that people in South Korea have sought surgery to make their under-eye skin plumper. 

This trend called “aegyo sal” (it translates to eye smiles or cute skin) is believed to make a person look more attractive and youthful in Korea. That’s not quite the case in North America. People go through eye creams and procedures to reduce the fat or puffiness under their eyes.

What you can do about fat under your eyes:  Blepharoplasty, also known as eyelid surgery, can reduce the fat under your eyes. Incisions are made below the lash line for the lower lids and then excess fat and skin are removed. “If excess fat is only present in the lower lids, it may be removed through an incision inside the lower lids conjunctivum with no external incision or scar,” says Dr. Mulholland.

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photos of a patient who had male breast reduction

Male breasts

Gynecomastia, also known as male breasts or “moobs”, is a condition where a man has excessive amounts of fat in the breasts. This happens due to different things like diet, environmental or hereditary factors. This swelling and enlargement of the breasts can be seen in newborn males, boys and older men. While this condition subsides for some boys, about 8% of boys continue to face this condition. Gyneocomastia isn’t life-threatening, but it can negatively affect a boy or man’s self-esteem.

What to do about male breasts: If losing weight doesn’t help, male breast reduction is a solution to gynecomastia. During this procedure, energy-assisted liposuction techniques like SmartLipo and VaserLipo can be used to reduce the size of male breasts for a flatter, more masculine looking chest.

Working out is great, no doubt. But sometimes, exercise just won’t cut it when you’re looking to cut the fat in certain body areas. Leave a comment here or book an appointment online if you have any questions regarding these procedures.