According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), men accounted for about 10 percent of all cosmetic plastic surgeries performed in the US.  But while women still make up for the vast majority of patients, experts believe that males may catch up sooner with the growing number of middle-aged workers.

Over the past couple of years, nose job has been the most popular cosmetic procedures for men.  The procedure typically involves manipulating and reshaping the cartilage, which is the flexible tissue inside the nose, to reduce or increase the projection, correct nostril flare, and address other aesthetic problems.

Aside from nose jobs, Smaili says he sees a growing number of male patients seeking liposuction, a procedure to remove the excess fats underneath the skin.  This is not surprising since the surgery was the third most popular cosmetic procedure for men in 2010, according to ASPS data.

“Contrary to popular belief, most men, especially those working in the corporate industry, are conscious with the way they look.  This doesn’t surprise me as several studies have shown that male bosses who are pleasing to the eyes—not necessarily those drop-dead-gorgeous superiors—appear to be more credible and trustworthy,” Smaili says.

And with the growing number of baby boomers and middle-aged men, some experts suggest that facial rejuvenation procedures such as facelift, Botox injection, and eyelid lift will continue their popularity.

In fact, a survey released by ASPS showed that eyelid lift was the third most popular cosmetic plastic surgery in 2010.

Employment is often the primary reason of men seeking cosmetic procedures, particularly that more workers these days postpone their retirement, in addition to the fact that older people are living longer and healthier.

But when treating older patients, Smaili says that most of them simply want to regain their youthful appearance, even those who are asking for nose jobs.

“Older men have a well-imprinted body image.  They do not want to drastically change their appearance, for instance, those who are asking for nose jobs just want to correct their drooping nasal tip to make it youthful.  On the other hand, younger patients are more focused on changing the fundamental shape of their nose,” he says.

Because of the stiff job competition and the growing number of men postponing their retirement, leading Los Angeles plastic surgeon Dr. Tarick Smaili sees more male patients going to his office to ask for cosmetic procedures.

“Contrary to popular belief, I think men nowadays are as conscious as women in terms of physical appearance.  In fact, a 2010 data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has shown that the number of middle-aged men seeking medical enhancement is on the rise,” Smaili added.

Meanwhile, another survey shows men’s growing enthusiasm with plastic surgery.  UCLA has found that 23 percent of US men were interested with the procedure, although only a fraction will push through with their plans.  By contrast, women were about eight times more likely than male patients to go under the knife.

Smaili noticed that many men still view plastic surgery as the last resort to their problems.

“Based on my experience, men will more likely prefer non-invasive procedures such as Botox injection and dermal fillers while women are more willing to go under the knife to achieve the best result possible,” the cosmetic surgeon said.

A significant number of men seeking cosmetic surgery undergo facial rejuvenation procedures such as facelift and eyelid lift.  And with the aging baby boomers who are living longer and healthier, plastic surgeons across the US believe in one thing: more eager patients will fall in line outside their office.

In fact, a 2010 data from ASPS shows that facelift performed on male patients increased by 14 percent.

Aside from employment reasons and Americans’ obsession to looking young, Smaili believes that the increasing number of patients seeking cosmetic procedures is caused by the changing attitude.

“In the past, cosmetic surgery was almost considered taboo, but now, many people would admit it without batting an eyelash.  More men are also open to treatments that would improve their appearance; this is proven by the invention of the term metrosexual, which is used to describe men who spend a lot of time and money for their appearance,” Smaili said.

Aside from facial rejuvenation procedures such as facelift and Botox, Smaili has also noticed an increase in number of male patients seeking liposuction especially in the chest area and abdomen.

During the show, even River’s plastic surgeon Norman Leaf was surprised when she showed up for consultation; this was probably because the TV personality has too much done on her face that it looks as if it was blown by a strong gust of wind.

Despite the overdone appearance, River seems to crave cosmetic plastic surgery as years go by.  Unfortunately, her seemingly unhealthy obsession with the procedure resulted to a windswept appearance and squinty eyes.

Because of too much work done on River’s face, even her daughter Melissa and some of her colleagues beg her to stop having cosmetic procedures.  However, the dissuasion ended when she offered them to pay all their aesthetic treatments.

In a previous interview, the 78-year-old TV personality was quoted saying, “My body is my temple, and my temple needs redecorating.”

Leading cosmetic surgeon Dr. Tarick Smaili, who did not treat Rivers, said that she have had too many procedures, including facelift surgery, that resulted to the unnatural appearance.

“Facelift surgery, because it cannot stop the aging process, still needs some revisions after 10 years or so.  However, repeating the procedure should be carefully done as the skin becomes thinner as people age,” Smaili said.

The cosmetic surgeon said the disadvantage of repeating facelift surgery more than twice is the higher risk of losing the “fundamental” shape of the face, resulting to an unnatural look.

“Also, pulling the skin over and over again can result to the squinty eyes or fish eyes.  That look is very unflattering so plastic surgeons have to be extra careful when doing revisions,” he added.

Smaili said that while the number of facelift surgery performed on a patient should be limited, this is not the case for soft tissue fillers and most injectable treatments designed to remove or minimize the signs of aging.

“Soft tissue fillers like Juvederm and Restylane should be performed every six months to two years, depending on the absorption rate of the body and treated areas.  Botox should also be repeated every couple of months in order to maintain the youthful appearance,” Smaili added.

The 59-year-old actor, who started his boxing career in 1991 after his acting career failed, is not new from plastic surgery.  In fact, he admitted to have five rhinoplasty surgeries to repair his nose due to sports-related injuries in addition to one operation to fix his smashed cheekbones.

Aside from facial injuries, Rourke also suffered from neurological problems which forced him to leave the boxing and return to his acting career.

Going back to Rourke’s rumored plan to undergo plastic surgery, some say that the actor probably wants to look like his movie character Thomas, a rugby player who in 2009 revealed that he’s gay.

Because Thomas is 22 years younger than Rourke, the actor would likely have facelift to make himself look younger.  This procedure, which is increasingly becoming popular in the US, involves the removal of sagging skin and wrinkles by going deeper into the facial tissue.  If done correctly, it can erase 10 to 15 years off from one’s face.

Whether Rourke will push through with the plastic surgery or not, he should be more careful in choosing his plastic surgeon.  In 2009, the actor said in an interview that he regretted having facial cosmetic procedures because of the unnatural result.

“Most of it [plastic surgery] was to repair facial injuries because of the boxing, but I went to the wrong guy to put my face back together,” Rourke said.

Facial plastic surgery is a complex procedure that combines science and art; for this reason, a patient should always choose a board-certified plastic surgeon who has an extensive experience in this specific surgery.

Dr. Tarick Smaili, a cosmetic plastic surgeon who did not treat Rourke, believes that interviewing previous patients can help a person determine if his doctor is able to deliver “great and natural results.”

“A doctor who has no medical malpractice suit and has good records would in fact advise you to talk to his previous patients.  By contrast, if your doctor discourage you to make some background check, this is already a red flag,” Smaili said.

But much to the disappointment of celebrity bloggers and showbiz reporters, Jenner’s scar is not caused by facelift or any cosmetic procedure.  The former Olympian had surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his face, according to a report published in Us Weekly.

The magazine cited an unnamed source although Jenner had not yet confirmed if his scar is really from a cancer surgery.

Perhaps those people who jumped into a conclusion that Jenner’s scar is from plastic surgery cannot be blamed as the reality tv star had admitted to have some nips and tucks in the past—a mini facelift when he was 35 years old and then followed by rhinoplasty or “nose job.”

Because the result of Jenner’s mini facelift was not as natural as it should be, he has been criticized for his “wind-swept” look and squinty eyes—clear manifestations of bad plastic surgery.

In an effort to “correct” the not-so-natural result of Jenner’s initial facelift, his wife and stepdaughters convinced him to get a revision plastic surgery several years ago.

Dr. Tarick Smaili, a cosmetic surgeon who did not treat Jenner, said that facelift is not only about removing the sagging skin and wrinkles.

“For me, the most important thing aside from making the face more youthful is also maintaining the natural shape of the eyes and face.  No one would like to have squinty eyes or a face that looks like it was blown by a strong wind.  With this in mind, I am very carefully when it comes to removing the sagging skin although I prefer going deeper into the facial muscle so the result will last 10 to 15 years,” Smaili said.

To avoid botched results, Smaili advised patients to carefully choose their plastic surgeons and make sure that they have been certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Smaili added that patients considering facelift surgery should make sure that their doctors have expertise in facial rejuvenation.

“People should remember that not because their doctors provide them great breast augmentation result does not necessarily mean that they are also good in facelift.  First and foremost, two procedures are very different from each other,” Smaili said.

The study, which involved 2,500 respondents, revealed that women are still more eager to have some nip and tucks than men; however, it does not mean that male patients are quite rare in cosmetic plastic surgery. In fact, they accounted for about 10 percent of all cosmetic surgeries in the US.

According to the finding, 28 percent of female respondents said they would consider cosmetic surgery, while 18 percent men favored the procedure.  Meanwhile, the study was conducted between January 5 and 9 on US adults aged 18 years and older.

In addition, 9 percent of women aged between 18 and 44 said they have used online coupon to enjoy discounts on cosmetic procedures such as Botox injection, laser skin resurfacing, and other non-invasive treatments.  On the other hand, about 22 percent of respondents who have not used “daily deal” said they would consider using it.

About 31 percent of women between 18 and 44 years old said they would consider online coupon to enjoy discounts of cosmetic procedures compared to 23 percent of men in the same age bracket.

While non-invasive procedures are usually offered by online companies that promote discounts vouchers, surgical treatments such as breast augmentation and facelift are quite rare.  However, it did not stop Groupon from offering up to 50 percent discounts on aesthetic surgeries.

But in November 2011, the popular online company has been accused of being irresponsible as it seemed to pressure consumers to buy vouchers for a limited time period.  According to Advertising Standards Authority, the practice clearly violated a provision by the British Association for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) prohibiting cosmetic doctors from offering “date-linked” incentives.

While people have different views on plastic surgery, it is important to remember that the procedure is a serious decision to make; in fact, any ethical doctor would require a lengthy consultation to determine if a patient is qualified or not to receive a certain procedure.

A qualified patient should be physically healthy, emotionally mature, and well-rounded individual who can understand the ramifications of plastic surgery, including not just the benefits but also the potential risks.  It is also important that he or she has realistic goals and expectations with a certain procedure.

While the movie has made Dolly’s plastic surgery a butt of joke, with some of the characters’ tacky reference to her “overdone” appearance, not everyone is laughing.  Many people—especially movie critics—believe the actress deserves better than the slapstick, loud film that undermines her talents.

Going back to her acting, some movie bloggers said it was “painful” seeing the actress with overdone plastic surgery especially on the big screen.  This is more of a problem with the emergence of high definition technology that can emphasize any facial flaws.

In fact, one writer at the Chicago Tribune has described Dolly’s plastic surgery “as if she did her last work in a drive-through.”  But despite the harsh comment, he noted the actress’ vocal prowess and her charm.

To digress from the movie and Dolly’s impeded acting skills, facelift surgery is not just about removing the facial aging—e.g., wrinkles and sagging—but more importantly is maintaining the normal appearance and fundamental shape of the face.  This is the rule of thumb followed by board-certified cosmetic surgeons.

“The goal of facial plastic surgery is to create a natural appearance and not a windblown face and squinty eyes,” said Dr. Tarick Smaili, one of the leading Los Angeles plastic surgeons.

To create a natural appearance, Smaili said the most important thing is to remove the right amount of skin.  By contrast, he said that excising too much facial tissue can result to the “dreaded windswept look and squinty eyes.”

Another technique is to go deeper into the facial tissues, the cosmetic surgeon added, so the result of facelift surgery can last 10 to 15 years without the need for revision procedures.

However, Smaili warned that facelift does not stop the aging of the face and so the need for “minor tweaks” after 10 years will be needed in order to maintain the youthful appearance.  Revisions may include “isolated facelift,” Botox injection, eyelid lift, and even nose job (particularly for aging patients whose nasal tip becomes too drooping and elongated).

Citing Dolly’s appearance, Smaili said the actress probably had “too invasive” secondary facial rejuvenation procedures that resulted to her lack of expression.

The findings support a previous study showing that younger patients are more ideal candidates than people aged older than 50 as the latter achieve more unpredictable results, resulting to lower satisfaction rate.

The new study involved patients categorized into three groups: individuals younger than 50, between 50 and 60, and over 60 years old at the time of facelift surgery.

The findings show that patients younger than 50 with minimal signs of facial aging scored higher in terms of satisfaction after short- and long-term follow-ups.  According to the experts’ analysis, these people have “remarkable maintenance of their youthful appearance” years after their facelift.

By contrast, patients aged 60 and above have reported “significant changes caused by facial aging.”  While the report has shown that they looked younger than the “untreated” people of the same age, they manifested more signs of “regression” in the five facial areas that were graded by plastic surgeons.

In general, the patients’ satisfaction ratings were consistent with the analysis of experts when they reviewed the before-and-after photographs.

The experts graded the satisfaction rate of the patients using a 5-point scale (with 5 being the most satisfied).  Most individuals from the 50 and below age group rated all their facial areas with 4 and 5, while the 50-60 rated themselves with scores between 2 and 5.

The patients over 60 rated their facial areas with lower scores of 2 and 3.

While the number of patients in the new survey was relatively small, the researchers believe their findings were consistent with previous studies showing that individuals 50 years and younger are more likely to achieve longer-lasting results with “less noticeable postoperative changes.”

The researchers have discovered that after an “equal number of years elapsed, the facial aging of patients from 40 to 50 age group was less dramatic than the individuals aged 50 to 60 years old.”

According to the findings, younger patients are also ideal to have less invasive facelift techniques in order “to buy time” or postpone an extensive facial rejuvenation surgery.

Less invasive facelift techniques are ideal for younger patients and individuals who need “maintenance procedures” to correct the facial aging.  All forms of facial rejuvenation surgery, while able to remove five to 15 years off from one’s face, do not stop the natural aging process.

Because every person has a varying degree of sagging skin in the forehead, plastic surgeons today are using different types of brow lift surgery which are usually based on the length of the incision used.  But in general, the excision is placed behind or along the hairline in order to hide the scars.

For older patients, perhaps the most popular technique is the temporal brow lift which uses incisions made at the temples behind the hairline that will allow doctors to correct the wrinkles in the forehead, creases in the corners of the eyes or “crow’s feet,” and sagging cheeks.

If needed, this technique is performed with suture suspension in which plastic surgeons uses internal, permanent sutures to support the new, higher position of the muscles and tissues.

Another common technique for patients who need the most correction is the full coronal brow lift which involves making an extensive, temple-to-temple incision that runs across the crown of the head.  With this plastic surgery procedure, doctors can pull the muscle and skin upward and then tighten the forehead area.  If needed, they will also remove the excess skin that is causing the sagging appearance.

While this technique provides a dramatic result, there is a major downside which must be considered: the long incision may become visible for people who have thinning hair or receding hairline.

Because younger patients or those between the age of 35 and 50 usually need a minimal to moderate lift, plastic surgeons have developed a less invasive technique called endoscopic brow lift which uses a slender probe with a tiny camera attached to a screen.  Meanwhile, this instrument is inserted into three to six small incisions that are placed behind the hairline.

With this plastic surgery approach, patients can expect faster recovery, less post-operative pain and discomfort, minimal bleeding, and lower risk of scarring and other complications.

In some cases, the endoscopic brow lift is complemented with permanent sutures to support the muscles and tissues in the forehead in their new, higher position.  These internal sutures hold the tissue in place by suspending the muscles from a barb or just by passing through them.

“Because I am a woman and wants to look young,” she said.

Meanwhile, the journalist claimed that she is practicing healthy lifestyle but despite of this, she said that it did not make any difference with her aging appearance.

As a major cosmetic surgery, facelift usually involves quite a lengthy recovery.  However, Burley was back in front of the camera just three weeks after the procedure probably because she chose a less invasive form of facial rejuvenation surgery and also with her talented make-up artists who can cover up the residual bruises.

During the first few days of her recovery, the mother of one said she has experienced “post-surgical blues” because of the swelling and bruising associated with facelift surgery, symptoms she compared to being in a “car crash.”

Burley said she did not feel intolerable pain during her first few days of recovery although she described her experience as “deeply traumatic.”  Meanwhile, Dr. Tarick Smaili, a Los Angeles plastic surgeon who did not treat the newscaster, said that it is “not uncommon for patients to experience post-surgical blues.”

“Some patients become slightly depress and anxious because of the swelling and bruising.  But because these symptoms drastically subside after a couple of days or weeks, the post-surgical blues disappear.  Such negative feelings may also be triggered by general anesthesia as it wears off, medications, and residual pain,” Smaili added.

But after the swelling and bruising subsided, Burley said she was “thrilled with the result” and even described the cost of her facelift as “money well spent.”  However, she did not reveal the exact amount of her surgery.

Several years ago, Burley had an eyelid surgery to remove the excess skin and fats around her eyes to make the organ appear more rejuvenated and younger.

To achieve the most desired result, the journalist said that doing one’s research and choosing the right surgeon can be very helpful to anyone considering having facelift surgery.

While the newscaster said she did not want to be a “poster girl” for cosmetic surgery, she encouraged people considering the procedure to “go ahead” as long as they have conducted months of research and planning.

Burly said she had spent several months researching about facelift surgery, planning her operation, and selecting the right surgeon.