Macho Makeover: Men Aren't Hiding Their Dirty Little Plastic Surgery Secrets Anymore
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Some men no longer have a dirty little secret—their macho makeover has become a sense of pride.
From their eyes to their thighs, more men are choosing to go under the knife for a little nip and tuck.
Brian Meuser is walking into his mid-40s with his head held high, but that wasn't the case a few short months ago.
"I don't want to call it a midlife crisis, because that's so cliche, but maybe it is," he said.
And maybe, this El Dorado Hills private investigator thought, he could do something about it.
"I've always kind of struggled with my weight a little bit," he said.
So Brian made the move.
"I don't shy away from telling people I did it," he said. "I don't necessarily wave a flag either."
He did what more and more men on the United States are doing these days—having plastic surgery.
The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery says the number of cosmetic procedures for men has increased by more than 106 percent since 1997.
So what's behind the surgical spike?
"The numbers started increasing especially when we hit the recession," said Dr. Shahriar Mabourakh, with the Folsom Plastic Surgery and Laser Center.
"Men were worried about keeping their job they wanted to look a little more youthful to be able to compete in the job market," he said.
The most common procedures for men include liposuction, treatment for gynecomastia to get rid of fatty tissue around the breasts, rhinoplasty and eyelifts.
Brian opted for liposuction to get rid of his love handles.
"I dropped over two inches across the belly button, above the sternum," he said. "I dropped a couple inches around the waist."
I used to call myself pudgy, that's what it looked like, and it doesn't look like that anymore," he said.
But that can come at a significant price, where procedures range from $3,000 and up, depending on what you're having done.
Most men are able to return to work after three or four days of rest after surgery.