Men having Botox to stay in work: Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery

MEN are increasingly making up elaborate excuses to sneak off for cosmetic surgery - not to impress the ladies, but in a vain bid to please the boss.

DR David McDaniel, a dermatologist in Virginia Beach, US, recalled an awkward scene a while back when a husband bumped into his wife at McDaniel's office. Both were there for Botox, but the husband hadn't told his wife he was getting treated.

The man quickly threw his arm around McDaniel, pretending the doctor was an old buddy who he had stopped by to visit. "Men are stealthy," McDaniel told MarketWatch.

In fact, according to Dr Russell Knudsen, past president of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery, men standfastedly deny that they have any form of cosmetic surgery - despite going under the knife in rising numbers.

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"They will tell their wife or partner that they are going to a conference, have a day golfing with their mates, anything but say they are going to the plastic surgeon," said Dr Knudsen. a hair transplant surgeon.

Yet men are increasingly having cosmetic surgery, such as Botox. Fifteen per cent of clients are now men, which is a significant rise.

Botulinum toxin . Men are trying to reduce wrinkles as they want to feel younger and feel fresher.

"Men want to look youthful for employment opportunities or to remain at the top of their field. Appearance matters when looking for a job, particularly if you are over forty," said Dr Knudsen.

"Men are becoming increasingly aware of the need to look beautiful, fresh and happy."

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Overall figures are not available in Australia, yet in the US total cosmetic procedures for men rose 22 per cent from 2000 to the end fo 2012, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

From 2011 to 2012, men's use of minimally invasive cosmetic procedures such as botulinum toxin (sold under the brand name Botox) rose six per cent.

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Men want Botox and facial fillers to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Workplace concerns have been particularly influential in driving male patients to get past the stigma men attach to cosmetic procedures.

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"Self confidence is one of the biggest 'gains' from cosmetic procedures. Men who undergo cosmetic surgery have often been bothered by a cosmetic 'problem' for many years, and seek to correct it to improve their self-esteem. Others may simply want to look younger and feel a 'fresher' look will help them in the workforce and socially," said Geoffrey Lyons, President of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons.

"Men tend to be more concerned with their appearance than in the past, so are more open to cosmetic surgery - it is more socially acceptable now than ever before to have cosmetic enhancements for both men and women."

McDaniel said a couple of years ago he had many 50-something, male middle managers coming to him because they were worried about keeping their jobs. While such visits have tapered off somewhat with the improving economy, McDaniel still sees plenty of guys these days. He does laser skin resurfacing on the faces of men who have done too many sunblock-less rounds on the golf course, and he sees men in their early 30s for "pre-juvenation," or treatments such as microdermabrasion designed to delay the onset of wrinkles.

And a word to the wise - with procedures costing into the hundreds of dollars and beyond, bear in mind these are hardly one-time expenses. Like gray roots, wrinkles resurface. Botox typically lasts about three months, while fillers can last about a year.

John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a Chicago-based global outplacement firm, told MarketWatch that he would not advise either way on cosmetic surgery.

He does counsel older job seekers against omitting signs of their age, such as leaving a graduation date off their resume.

"If it's not there, they know there's a reason or it."

The good news, Challenger said, is that there are plenty of ways to come across as youthful in a job interview. A 55-year-old candidate who projects an energetic vibe can go a long way toward easing prospective employers' concerns about his age, he said.

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