The exciting world of cosmetic surgery has seen somewhat of a shift in direction in recent times. Gone are the days of exorbitant surgeries that have brought about the undesirable effect of „plastic“ women. Nowadays, cosmetic surgery is seen as more of a luxury than an act of desperation and this directly stems from the types of procedures being done by men and women alike. The surprising thing is that the culture surrounding the procedures has experienced a shift as well, reeling in an unlikely demographic – men.
The change
The change was in no means graceful, corrective surgeries have experienced a huge plummet in popularity in recent years and were almost at the brink of going out completely. However, with people’s newfound obsessions to retain their youth, subtler procedures have taken the spotlight. Public interest went from obtaining that perfect D cup or guitar-like figure to removing a few lines on the forehead. If we felt the need to be dramatic, the change could be described like a phoenix born from the ashes, finding more business than ever before with more and more „average Joes“ lining up.
A shift in ideals
This shift can be explained by the very shift of the ideals, the foundations on which we base our beauty standards. A long time ago, in the mid to late 19th century, women actually underwent breast reduction surgeries. After that came the explosion of the D cup and the popularization of blondes. Nowadays, we see the cycle continuing as more and more women in the spotlight decide to get breast reduction surgeries as having back problems at 25 isn’t considered attractive anymore.
The rise in non-surgical approaches
With this shift and need for subtlety, people started opting for gradual changes to minimize their downtime and get straight back into the world. Botox injections and other methods of skin tightening have become increasingly popular as they leave little to marks of intrusion and achieve the desired effect. Going under the knife is seen as an extreme and still has that connotation of insecurity while injections do not even though the entire industry is formed around that notion. Regardless of the motivation behind these changes, more and more common people have decided to give plastic surgery a try as it has become increasingly affordable and desirable.
It’s raining men
Although new to the scene, men are way beyond present in the modification scene. As more and more men give into their vain nature and realize that they’d like to preserve their youth just like women – plastic surgeons had to rethink their strategies. Men do not want a long recovery period, truth be told, they do not even want to admit that they had work done. However shy they might be about wanting to better themselves, there is nothing wrong with this desire. Despite not wanting to admit it directly, a pretty big chunk of 2016. plastic surgery patients were men attempting to knock a few years off their face.
Baywatch is no longer trending
Yeah, you heard it, it’s time to pack up the red swimsuit and bra that looks like a helmet from World War II. Clinics that deal with these procedures like the folks over at Silkwood have seen a steady decline in invasive surgeries like these with more and more people coming in wanting a very subtle facelift or some flab removed here and there. Our society has finally moved out of the gutter when it comes to getting work done, no longer associating the industry exclusively with porn.
Truth be told, the porn industry might be exactly what brought about the negative view of getting excessive work done, with most of the actresses showing the negative side of all of these alterations. Aging is inevitable, but it can be slowed down. This has become the major focus of the industry and more and more people are accepting their want to stay young and vibrant. This is extremely helpful because it gives everyone a few extra years to get accustomed to the idea and eventually accept it – moving into the next stage of their lives.
To sum up
The industry has seen a sudden shift in both popularity and the methods used, from supplying Playboy bunnies with job opportunities to helping friends and family get a few more youthful years. The fact that the industry became so approachable to the masses almost certainly saved it, breaking the stereotypical thoughts associated with it and making itself a staple of the modern age. Nowadays, CEOs and models alike visit surgeons for the same thing we’re all hoping for – a bit more time.
