Morning:
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I confess to being rather bemused this week. Not by a tricky case or a difficult patient, but by the fact that the News of the World considered it newsworthy that I have had hair transplants.
I can't for the life of me work out why. Nearly all the TV presenters I know have had their teeth done (I'm doing mine later this year — NOTW take note) and a large number of the female ones have had their boobs enhanced, so why is it so odd that someone well versed in what surgery can offer should choose to get their hairline fixed?
I suspect that it is because I am a he. Women getting their bits fixed is currently acceptable and in America is something of a status symbol, and yet here in the UK there is still a certain taboo about men having “work done”.
The media are a little behind the times, however. Cosmetic surgery statistics show that it is becoming increasingly popular with men as a way to deal with image maintenance and change. Surgeons are even reporting a record number of “man boob” operations, with a rise of 80 per cent, outstripping demand for all other procedures. Fourteen per cent of Botox injections, 15 per cent of all liposuction and eyelid surgeries, 20 per cent of laser hair removal and 24 per cent of nose jobs are carried out on men.
Body image is a very personal, private thing for guys, which they find hard to talk about. But looking good is now as important for men as it is for women.
I struggle terribly with body dysmorphia, at one stage almost to the point of bulimia. While having my hair done certainly wasn't going to solve those issues fully, it definitely made me feel much better about myself. So maybe it's not such a surprise that more and more of us blokes are taking advantage of the procedures on offer and making changes.
I wasn't balding, I simply had high temples and they were something that I never liked. I have now had them fixed and I'm delighted. Will my revelation about my own op send insecure men scurrying off to their nearest clinic to investigate similar procedures? If they then make wise, informed decisions that improve their happiness and self-esteem, then I really hope so.
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Reader views (4)
This has to do with the feminazation of men more than anything else. The life & style section is filled with dergrading articles, such as pushing men to start wearing pink suits with shorts! Now we read about cosmetic procedures that can be good for men too! Men have been queuing up to becoome nuetered for too long. When will real men stand up and put an to this cultural emasculation.
- Warren Zimmerman, Biloxi, MS. USA, 07/05/2010 16:47
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Only if they get their mouths sewn up!
- Carmel, Lewisham, 29/04/2010 18:14
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I think there is a long overdue discussion about BDD that has been overlooked here. I agree with the above poster's comments about Dr CJ's physical "cure/treatment " against what is perceived as a psychological condition. However as a sufferer myself I can understand the fixation of "treating" the perceived "problems" through the possibility of cosmetic surgery and obsessive exercise. Hopefully Dr CJ will feel able to bring this topic under the spotlight.
- Carl, London, 29/04/2010 16:21
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If you genuinely to suffer from body dysmorphia than cosmetic procedures are potentially very bad for you - you can easily get stuck into an addictive cycle trying to fix the next imagined problem. You have applied a 'body' cure to a psychological problem and it is unlikely to be long term successful. If however you suffer from a far more normal body dissatisfaction then good luck to you. btw your photo makes you look extremely good looking and so I wouldnt tinker too much with nature - you dont want to go down the route of David Guest, Michael Jackson, Pete Burns!
- Jim G, London, 29/04/2010 08:08
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