The top 14 cosmetic procedures men are getting [Kyle Baltrusch, MD, Portland]

Eva Sheie (00:00):
You're listening to Where Before Meets After.

Dr. Baltrusch (00:03):
My name's Kyle Baltrusch. I am a plastic surgeon at Portland Plastic Surgery Group in Portland, Oregon. Today we're going to be talking about male plastic surgery.

Eva Sheie (00:13):
What other cosmetic procedures do men typically come to you for?

Dr. Baltrusch (00:18):
So I think we're seeing a rise in kind of the non-invasive aspect of plastic surgery. So things like, I mean, I call it more of a gateway drug. We see this increase with everyone and they're the most common procedures, but Botox and skin treatments, sculpture are things that kind of naturally tighten lasers when it comes to procedures so beyond male breast reduction. Things that I do since I don't do face, certainly there's an increase in facelifts or blepharoplasties, so eyelid surgery, things that give more of a youthful appearance. But some massive weight loss, that's another one. So both men and women lose weight, whether that be through bariatric surgery or just diet and exercise. And so we heal very similarly. So there may be an excess in skin and soft tissue, a laxity that patients want to dealt with. So that may be anything from a brachioplasty, meaning arms, abdominoplasty, so abdomen or lower body lift that addresses buttock and lateral thigh or medial thigh lift.

(01:32):
And so when you lose a significant amount of weight that is kind of systemic, it's everywhere. You see those effects all over the body. And so after six to 12 months of us being at a stable weight, we see these patients who come in wanting to discuss their body contouring procedures. Certainly in our younger patients, we're seeing men for liposuction or contouring. And so that's mostly flanks or abdomen.

Eva Sheie (02:03):
Will you share with us what you've done yourself? Is there anything that you're willing to reveal?

Dr. Baltrusch (02:08):
I have not had any plastic surgery like surgical, but I am certainly a big fan and proponent of the non-invasives. So the injectables, mostly what I do is skin related. So lasers, microneedling, radiofrequency, those things that help build collagen, tighten skin so that who knows, maybe I can push off having any procedures done another decade or two. But I myself haven't had any procedures done. I'm 38 and I don't think I'm quite ready yet.

Eva Sheie (02:46):
Are you watching? How will you know when you're ready?

Dr. Baltrusch (02:50):
I think I take really good care of myself by exercise and diet. What I would do first is when the time comes, there's probably a blepharoplasty eyelid surgery.

Eva Sheie (03:03):
Everyone has a wishlist and I think eyes are often at the top of everyone's wishlist.

Dr. Baltrusch (03:09):
Yeah. I think that facelift or neck lift, brow lift, these aren't procedures that I would be able to disguise as naturally because I shave my head. And so oftentimes those scars are hidden in the hairlines and I don't have a hairline. So unless I'm willing to show a scar, then I'm probably not going to be pursuing those surgeries.

Eva Sheie (03:37):
This is an interesting rabbit hole. How do men with no hair get facial rejuvenation procedures where the scars are hidden in the hairline?

Dr. Baltrusch (03:47):
Yeah, you might just talk about a short scar, short scar like facelift, or you can hide scars in wrinkles. So your wrinkles of your forehead or something, you can disguise them in. The facelift scars, you can do short scar within the front of the ear. Oftentimes that extends back in the hairline if you're doing neck lift as well. And so you might talk about opting not to do that or do something less visible.

Eva Sheie (04:15):
I've never thought about that before, but that's saying something. We'll have to come back and talk about that again someday. Okay. Is there a difference in what men are seeking when they're younger versus when they're aging? So do guys in their 20s want to do different things than guys who come in maybe in their later years, 50, 60-ish?

Dr. Baltrusch (04:44):
I think there are differences. And I think that is when younger, so 20s, even teenagers, 20s, 30s, I think we see more of the gynecomastia, so male breast reduction. Younger men, I think they're a little bit more keen on their appearance and their personal life, their self-esteem, self-confidence. And so with dating or just being shirtless at the beach or the pool. And so we see a lot of younger patients pursuing male breast reduction when they're younger. Same thing with liposuction. Younger patients tend to have better skin quality. There tend to be better candidates for liposuction alone. And often that's abdomen and flanks to get more of a male contour, which tends to be more straight without flank adiposity or fat pockets. And then when patients are older, I think this is when we see more of the gravitational effects. And so we are seeing more of those patients for contouring procedures.

(05:55):
So more of like the abdominoplasty, the facelift, brow lift, neck lift, things that typically patients don't need or require when they are younger.

Eva Sheie (06:06):
Thanks for listening. I'm your host, Eva Sheie. Follow the show and submit questions for our experts at wherebeforemeetsafter.com. Where Before Meets After is a production of The Axis.