Plastic Surgery in Men: Approaching the Male Face

The male patient seeking facial rejuvenation is less common and the goals differ to that of the female patient. In general, men request lines in the forehead to be smoothed, excess upper eyelid skin to be removed and bagginess in lower eyelids to be decreased; as well they request their necks to be tightened. This is usually confounded with the request for limited surgical procedures and limited downtime. Forehead lines in men can be treated with Botox®, without the need for a formal brow lift which may feminize the brow and elevate the hairline. Botox® in men usually requires a higher dose secondary to increased muscle mass in the male forehead. Excess upper eyelid skin can be removed with a simple skin-only upper eyelid blepharoplasty which can be performed under local anesthesia or in combination with other surgical procedures. Lower eyelid procedures are the most invasive and complicated component to the male face, and are either the only single primary procedure requested, or secondary to the main complaint which is usually the neck. A lower eyelid procedure or lower eyelid blepharoplasty is performed via a fine incision under the lower eyelid lash-line, which is utilized for removing bagginess, and tightening and elevating the lower eyelid. The convalescence for this type of procedure may exceed 3 weeks. The male neck, unlike that of a female can be treated with either a direct excision of the excess skin or a neck lift. The direct excision procedure can be performed under local anesthetic and requires a longer scar in the central neck which heals well. This treats the central neck skin, though does not contour the jawline significantly. For treatment of the jawline and the central neck, a neck lift can be performed in the operating room via a small chin incision and incisions around the ears. This tightens the neck, removes skin and fat and contours the jawline. The operation takes approximately three hours and requires an overnight stay for monitoring, though the convalescence can be shorter than one week. Smile lines and cheeks, as well can be addressed through limited direct excisions, rather than fillers, or a more invasive cheek lift. All of these procedures can be combined in the male patient seeking a younger face, with each component individually discussed and packaged in a surgical procedure which delivers a natural looking, rejuvenated, masculine face.