Man boobs, are driving more males to plastic surgery. Renee Switzer reports. We all laughed when US sitcom Seinfeld made a joke out of it. Kramer invented a bra for men with “man boobs” and called it “The Bro”.
But an increasingly self-conscious group of men aren,t laughing any more. According to the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, a record number of men are having plastic surgery to reduce the size of their breasts.
While exact figures are unavailable on the number of Australian men seeking surgery to combat their unwanted womanly curves - a medical condition known as gynecomastia - plastic surgeons, spokesman Norm Olbourne said local trends often followed those in the US and Britain.
“The latest figures from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons show there was a 22 per cent increase in male breast reduction last year, while plastic surgeons in the UK also report a surge in numbers,” he said.
It is believed the trend has sprung from a growing acceptance of plastic surgery for men and an increased awareness of body image among men.
Beer giant Lion Nathan has meanwhile come under fire for capitalising on the “man boobs” paranoia and basing a controversial advertising campaign (”Hahn boobs”) around it.
Its internet site shows a close-up video clip of a woman,s hands holding a pair of naked breasts which are later revealed to belong to a man. The ad ends with the slogan: “Boobs, great on women. Not so good on men.”
It seems a growing number of men agree. According to Melbourne-based plastic surgeons, the typical man seeking treatment for enlarged breasts is in his late 20s or early 30s, usually single and quite distressed about his physical appearance, often due to gibes from mates.
Richmond plastic and reconstructive surgeon Jane Paterson said she had seen an increase in men wanting the surgery.
“I do this operation as a routine. I would do one a month,” she said.
Dr Paterson said the majority of her patients “have a fear of taking off their clothes, going to the beach or gym”.
“They,re at a time in their life when it is very important for them to be completely masculine and any hint of femininity they find distressing.”
She said the surgery was life-changing for many of her patients. “They love it, they,re almost on the brink of tears they are so grateful,” she said.
But she warned that, as with any surgery, there were risks, including bleeding and infection. There is also the risk the breasts will be unbalanced or the surgeon may remove too much or too little.
The term “man boobs” was added to the Collins Australian Dictionary in 2005 after former Labor leader Mark Latham was ridiculed for his man boobs following a Canberra cricket match.
Hawthorn plastic surgeon Hamish Farrow said more of his patients were admitting they had been teased over their man boobs.
“Men are extremely cruel to each other and it,s usually the men who are scared of another man being critical of them.”
Male patients who believed they had enlarged breasts were often “terribly affected and upset” about it, he said.
“These guys don,t want to be special model types, they just want to be normal and feel comfortable that they look like everybody else,” he said.
Dr Farrow said he had treated a boy as young as 14 who had a woman,s size C-cup breasts. He said he believed more GPs were referring patients with gynecomastia to plastic surgeons.
Breast reduction surgery in men can be as minor as liposuction around the breast area, but can also include removing breast gland tissue and in extreme cases also removing skin.
Without insurance the surgery can cost about $6000, but in some cases some of this can be claimed through Medicare.
Medicare figures show that last year 1439 men claimed for a male breast reduction procedure.
Related posts:
Leave a Response