Men lead growing rush for surgery to improve looks

Data from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) shows 38,274 surgical procedures were carried out in 2010 – up five per cent on figures for 2009.

One of the biggest rises was for breast reduction in men – to get rid of so-called "man boobs" – with 741 operations in 2010, up 28 per cent on the previous year.

Top of the list for total number of operations in men was nose jobs, accounting for 993 operations, a rise of 13 per cent on the previous year.

Eyelid surgery made up 652 procedures (up six per cent), while ear correction accounted for 496 (down 27 per cent).

There were 473 liposuction operations (up five per cent) and 263 for neck and/or face lifts (up 11 per cent) in men.

Brow lifts also rose in popularity, to 123 procedures (up 13 per cent on 2009).

Overall, women had 90 per cent of cosmetic procedures in 2010, with breast enhancements being the most popular (9,418 procedures, up 10 per cent on 2009).

Eyelid surgery accounted for 5,127 procedures (up seven per cent), while face and/or neck lifts were the third most popular (4,493, up 12 per cent).

Nose jobs accounted for 3,214 procedures (up nine per cent), tummy tucks for 3,039 (down seven per cent) and liposuction for 2,896 (a reduction of four per cent).

The figures represent operations carried out by BAAPS members, who make up about 40 per cent of cosmetic surgeons in the UK.

The consultant plastic surgeon and president of the BAAPS, Fazel Fatah, said yesterday: "Procedures showing the more considerable rise during this period seem to be, perhaps not surprisingly, concentrated on the most visible areas of the body: facelifts, breasts and nose jobs.

"Surgeries that decreased in popularity were for the areas which could potentially be 'hidden' or disguised by fashion and hairstyles, such as tummy tucks and pinning back prominent ears."

The BAAPS is a not-for-profit organisation based at the Royal College of Surgeons.