Most men view cosmetic plastic surgery positively, new ASPS survey finds

New survey mirrors ASPS 2003 male statistics

January 24, 2005
American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)

Almost three-quarters of men have a positive attitude toward cosmetic plastic surgery, according to a recent American Society of Plastic Surgeon's online survey. Of the 1,065 men polled, 74% said they approved of cosmetic plastic surgery for themselves or others, while only 11% disapproved and 15% were undecided.

The cosmetic plastic surgery population has soared since ASPS began tracking procedural statistics in 1992. More than 7.4 million procedures were performed in 2003, of which men made up 14%.

More than 311,000 men had cosmetic surgical procedures in 2003, up 14% from 2002, according to ASPS statistics. The total number of men having minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures in 2003 (including Botox injection, chemical peel, laser hair removal and microdermabrasion) was more than 922,000, up 51% from 2002.

"As the numbers suggest, most men consider plastic surgery as a reasonable option today," said ASPS President Scott Spear, M.D. "Taking care of yourself and paying attention to physical appearance is increasingly important to men. Helped along by popular television shows and stories in the media, cosmetic plastic surgery is definitely becoming more mainstream for men."

In the ASPS survey, a quarter of respondents said that if they were to have a cosmetic surgery procedure, they would choose liposuction. 22% named laser hair removal as the procedure that would interest them most, and nearly 12% opted for nose reshaping.

When asked what would be their biggest obstacle to having cosmetic plastic surgery, 57% of respondents cited cost. Other responses included concern about what others would think (13%), fear of surgery (12%), and lack of knowledge about cosmetic plastic surgery (10%).