By Sue Clayton
Arizona Business Magazine

PHOENIX - Take a good look in the mirror. Is your hair thinning, your face drooping, or your spare tire growing larger than you’d like? Sure, you know you’re not a kid anymore, but you still feel a lot younger than you look. Maybe it’s time to turn back the clock by seeking help from a qualified plastic surgeon.

The term "plastic" comes from the Greek word "plastikos," which means to mold or give form. Plastic surgeons give new form to the human body, either through reconstructive surgery (procedures to repair birth defects and deformities caused by accidents or disease) or cosmetic surgery (procedures to reshape the normal structures of the body to improve the patient’s appearance and self esteem).

According to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS), approximately one of every eight cosmetic surgical procedures in 1997 was performed on men. Men accounted for 14 percent of liposuction, 13 percent of eyelid surgery, and 9 percent of laser skin resurfacing. These numbers have increased substantially over the last five years.

So what motivates men to have plastic surgery? "A lot of my patients say, ‘I don’t feel the way I look in the minor; I feel more youthful than I look’," explains Dr. John Gibney. "Or they say, ‘I don’t want to start looking like my grandparents.’ Or, ‘I’m out in the business world and there’s some young guy who is 30-years-old, and just got out of Stanford and wants my job. And if I feel as good as I look, and I look as good as I feel, then I think that edge is still with me.’ "

by Sue Clayton