More Men Are Opting for Body Contouring
Television and movies have made us all keenly aware of the “ideal” male body shape, which includes a broad shoulders and chest, flat abdomen, narrow hips, and highly defined musculature. However men who can’t afford to employ a full-time personal trainer often have difficulty living up to this ideal. As men age, deposits of fat tend to accumulate around the abdomen, flanks, breast area, and along the chin and neck. These fat deposits may be highly resistant to diet and exercise, but can often be treated with liposuction. Nearly 25,000 men underwent liposuction procedures in 2014, most commonly to improve the contours of the neck and chin, abdomen, or “love handles“.
Because men tend to retain their skin elasticity longer than women do, and because the areas of fat beneath their skin tend to be firmer and more vascular, liposuction procedures in men are usually extremely effective and can often be enough alone to correct the problem areas. However, men who have loose, sagging skin in addition to areas of excess fat may also benefit from post-weight loss surgery, otherwise known as a body lift. In some cases, rapid and significant weight loss from dieting, exercise, or bariatric surgery may leave behind skin that has been stretched and distorted to the point that it hangs in loose, sagging folds. Certain body contouring procedures, like a body lift, can remove the excess skin, giving the entire area a tighter, more lifted appearance.
Additionally, in men a great deal of accumulated fat tends to settle in the abdominal area, where it can potentially stretch the abdominal muscles and leave the midsection distended. In severe cases the thinner connective tissue can leave men particularly prone to hernias and ensure that diet and exercise are largely ineffective in addressing the condition. An abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck, can retighten the muscles of the abdominal wall while simultaneously removing excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen, giving the midsection a tighter, flatter, and thinner overall look.
Finally, several advanced plastic surgery techniques have been developed that can help significantly improve muscle contour through the use of cosmetic implants. For example, the use of pectoral implants to augment or “bulk out” men’s chests has increased by more than 200% in the last year alone and calf implants, which were originally developed to restore leg contour to victims of accidents of polio, are now sometimes used to give the lower leg a more defined appearance. If you are interested in learning how you might benefit from any of the various body contouring procedures we offer, please contact Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C. at one of our Atlanta, Alpharetta, Cumming, or Newnan offices to schedule a consultation. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest plastic surgery news.
