Males had more than a million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in 2006

Males had more than a million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in 2006 according to statistics released today by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Surprisingly, the overall number of male cosmetic plastic surgery procedures declined by 7 percent; however, there was growth in minimally invasive procedures that provide volume in the face and in surgical procedures for a more toned body.

"Although we've seen a slight dip in some of the traditional male plastic surgery procedures, the numbers reveal men are focused on adding volume to their face and reducing volume in the body," said ASPS President Roxanne Guy, MD. "These are healthy men who want to look as good as they feel."

Men looking to revitalize their aging face preferred procedures that were less invasive, less expensive and required less healing time. Soft tissue fillers experienced the largest growth between 2005 and 2006 with hyaluronic acid (Restylane, Hylaform) and polylactic acid fillers (Sculptra) leading the charge, growing by 85 percent and 66 percent respectively. Botox injections, microdermabrasion, and laser skin resurfacing increased by 202 percent, 112 percent and 49 percent since 2000.

In contrast to facial procedures, men increasingly turned to surgery to achieve a more toned body. Since 2005, thigh lifts increased by 39 percent, male breast reductions by 22 percent, and tummy tucks by 4 percent. Thigh lifts grew by 180 percent and tummy tucks by 165 percent since 2000. Although total procedures for pectoral implants and calf augmentations are relatively low, they climbed 99 percent and 49 percent respectively since 2005.