June is men’s health awareness month, and for many men this wake-up call translates into a visit with a facial plastic surgeon. “We see many men who come in for nose surgery to fix a deviated septum or male weekend warriors who broke their nose in a pick-up game of basketball and need it fixed, but they are also looking for a good cosmetic result,” says Stephen S. Park, M.D., president of the AAFPRS. “Today, reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries are closely linked, and many male patients increasingly request to change form as well as function.”
Among male patients, the most common surgery is rhinoplasty, according to the latest statistics released by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Chin enhancement is another procedure that men are very interested in, whether by placing chin or jaw implants to create a stronger jawline, or undergoing surgery for realignment. The chin can also be addressed by undergoing fat reduction via liposuction, non-surgical fat melting or the newly FDA-cleared Kybella fat dissolving injections. “Men often consider having a strong jawline that is in balance with the rest of their face for advantage in their personal and professional lives,” says Edwin Williams, M.D., FACS, president-elect of the AAFPRS. “Facial plastic surgeons often combine a chin enhancement procedure with rhinoplasty to create a more attractive and manly profile.”
Facial plastic surgeons also report an uptick in male skin cancer patients seeking surgery to remove skin cancers in prominent and delicate areas of the face. “Skin cancer prevention and awareness efforts are gaining traction, and we are seeing more men and women who come in to have a skin cancer removed, and they want to make sure it is handled appropriately and without significant scarring,” says Williams.
In 2014, the nose (68 percent of facial plastic surgeons report) was the most common site on the face for skin cancer facial reconstruction followed by cheeks (16 percent), ears (6 percent) and forehead (4 percent). Overall the top reconstructive surgeries performed were nasal reconstruction (48 percent), skin cancer excision (33 percent), scar revision (10 percent), and facial trauma surgery (2 percent), the AAFPRS reports.