Lynn doc sees surge in plastic surgery for men

LYNN – Dr. Sheldon Sevinor of The Sevinor Center for Cosmetic Surgery in Lynn recently appeared on ABC?s show “The View” to discuss the increased demand for plastic surgery by men.According to Sevinor, who has been in practice for 35 years, more than one million men underwent cosmetic surgery in the United States in 2010, an increase of 88 percent from 1997. The top five surgical procedures for men are liposuction, rhinoplasty (or nose reshaping), eyelid surgery, breast reduction to treat enlarged male breasts and cosmetic ear surgery.Sevinor said he started to see an increase in the number of men receiving plastic surgery at his practice during the late 1990s after he appeared on an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show about married couples having cosmetic surgery together. With that publicity, the percentage of his male patients went from approximately 5 percent to nearly 25 percent.?The show was a stimulus for men to feel like since its okay for their wives to change something to feel better about themselves, then it?s okay for men to also explore the options for plastic surgery,” Sevinor said.Men previously felt embarrassed and guilty about the desire to change their appearance and Sevinor said they often entered his office through a private door into a separate waiting room. But now, he said men are often more open to talking about surgery than women.Sevinor cited several other reasons besides social acceptance for the increased number of men pursuing cosmetic surgery. Surprisingly he said tough economic times have pushed men to go through with surgery, as it is seen as an investment, rather than a luxury.?Men associate looking good with success. We are living at a time in the United States when there is so much unemployment, and men think that they can compete better in the job market if they look younger and better. Studies show that the better looking applicant typically gets the job,” Sevinor said, and added that increased access has made plastic surgery more reasonably priced. “Plastic surgery is no longer just for the rich and famous. We try to make it affordable by offering payment plans and different options. If you want it bad enough, we want to make it happen for you.”The aging baby boomer population – which is more than 50 percent male – also contributes to the increase in men getting plastic surgery. Though, Sevinor points out, men typically get plastic surgery for features they?ve dealt with for their whole lives, like overly large ears, while women usually get it to reverse the effects of aging.?We are living longer today than ever before, and we are redefining the hallmarks of aging,” Sevinor explained. “People are feeling more vital at 70 and 80-years-old, and when they look in the mirror they look old, but they don?t feel old, and plastic surgery can slow that aging down.”While men are beginning to view plastic surgery as an acceptable method for self-betterment as women have for years, the approach Sevinor takes as a surgeon is a lot different for his male patients. He said it?s most important to perform surgery conservatively on men, and to make subtle changes that fit with each man?s ethnicity.?Women want more of a visual change, where my male patients do not want to look like someone else, just a better version of them selves,” he said, and noted that the best compliment for a post-surgery male is when people notice that something looks better and different, but they can?t put a finger on exactly what it is. “With a nose reshape, the second most common plastic surgery for men, you have to take into consideration their ethnic background. You don?t want an Italian or Greek gentleman to have a really small, turned-up Irish looking nose. It?s more important for men to look natural than women.”Sevinor said there are also differences in the skin of each gender. Men have much thicker skin than women with higher vascularity, or more blood vessels. As a result men will swell more, and the surgery and recovery tak