A number of things in recent years have, in my opinion, meant we are seeing more men seeking facial rejuvenation surgery. This is a good thing and I’ll try unpick why I think we are witnessing this rise.

Firstly, most of us do not associate masculinity with vanity. The idea that men would be pre-occupied with their facial appearance is not a common one. However, as a facial surgeon we know men care just as much as women do (if not more), but societal barriers and social ‘norms’ have meant men bottle up their concerns around appearance. The covid pandemic heightened our senses that life very much is for living, and suddenly men of all age groups suddenly saw elite athletes, media figures and prominent people in the entertainment industry openly podcast/talk/post about their struggles, and crucially, their anxieties day to day. Parallel to this as a society, the idea of being ‘well’ or engaging with ‘wellness’ had a major re-brand, and men were now focused on optimizing and leveraging their health – particularly in the over 40s age group. Male longevity experts came to the fore and rather than beers down the pub (Alcohol consumption falls to record low in Britain), middle aged man started to spend more time in the gym, more focus on getting good sleep, and organizing their time better to be a better family man. Inevitably this helped men start to frame their relationship with their aesthetic better. Men connected with, and developed their emotional quotients – it was OK to talk about one’s physical or business capabilities AND talk about vanity and aesthetics, and all of this was a communal experience men had not experienced before.

Now that men feel less judged by being preoccupied with their appearance, and the established premiums on ‘wellness’ and self preservation to perform at work, physically at the gym or in sport, and sexually (testosterone and gut health!), we have a ripe situation where we can talk about appearance.

There is clear evidence that facial surgery is on the increase in men, The BAAPs annual data collection showed male facelifts had jumped by 25% in a year. In my practice, men accounted for 1 in 10 face consultations – now this sits at 1 in 5 and the big ticket areas are the lower eyelid bags and face and neck lifts. The strong focus of men is their faces – men still make up <10% of total cosmetic surgery patients, but certain facial procedures (like facelifts) have grown proportionally faster among men compared to other male cosmetic surgeries. The interest in being fitter and exercising, whilst sidelining alcohol has also meant men are experiencing weight loss – a major driver for neck lifts when lax skin develops as a consequence.

The cultural shift is under way and the re-framing of our appearance being part of overall health and wellness means us fellas are finally comfortable to explore appearance changing surgery. In 2021 Marc Jacobs, arguably the worlds most famous contemporary male fashion designer, was very open about having a facelift, and what motivated him. Of particular interest was his ‘call to action’ for men – to stop sulking in the shadows and do something positive for oneself if you are thinking about it! He pointed out that in his industry he was sick of people pretending they hadn’t had anything ‘done’, so he reasserted the narrative of openness and being comfortable with appearance changing surgery.

Ultimately we are witnessing a shift, and all of the traditional male views are being re-shaped and once upon a time men behaving in this way, may have been called ‘soft’. Now, actually taking care of oneself is power, not weakness. Women have been telling us this for millenia, and obviously we wouldn’t listen, but finally we may have arrived…..