Nipped. Tucked. You?
Sick of the flap of skin you just can't erase from your abs? More and more guys are turning to cosmetic surgery to fix their physical flaws. But should you join them?
by Cora Daniels
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Whether you’re overweight like Joe or just unhappy with your body shape like Dan, coming to terms with the body you’ve been given can be a lifelong struggle. And it never gets easier. That’s because the number of fat cells we each have is pretty much set by the time we reach puberty. When we gain or lose weight, we’re not changing the number of fat cells in our bodies, we’re simply expanding or contracting what’s already there. And the distribution of those cells, and how much they can contract, is completely beyond our control. It all comes down to genetics. Which means you can be incredibly fit everywhere else but may never shed those love handles if it’s in your genes to have them, doctors say. The one bright spot? Compared with women, men are actually more ideal candidates for liposuction and contouring surgeries. Experts say male fat tends to be more localized and less stretched by things such as pregnancy, soif you do choose to go the surgical route, at least you can expect good results.
So it works. But should you jump on the table and go under the knife to fix those flabby trouble spots? The jury on that one’s still out. Those who’ve done it typically argue that the surgery has changed their life and helped them deal with even bigger issues they may have been facing. “You can’t underestimate the power of male vanity,” says George Lefkovits, M.D., who lectures about such issues at plastic surgery conferences and whose Manhattan-based practice has a client base that is almost half men. “It is not true to think that guys are not vain—men are very vain!”
Still, it’s important to keep your expectations realistic. “We are talking about real surgery that comes with real wounds and real healing time,” cautions David Watts, M.D., the New Jersey–based surgeon behind Joe’s transformation. “You need to remember the outcome that your friend got is not necessarily the outcome you will get. People think plastic surgeons have a magic wand like Harry Potter. Yes, plastic surgery can get you to the five-yard line. But to win the game, you still have to punch the ball into the end zone yourself. And that takes diet and exercise.”
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