Changing Aesthetic Surgery Interest in Men: An 18-Year Analysis

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Aesthetic Medicine
• Men's Health

Background:

• Societal stigma historically discouraged men from pursuing aesthetic surgery.
• Cultural shifts have led to a decrease in this stigma.
• Men's interests in specific cosmetic procedures are diverse and evolving.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in male interest in specific plastic surgery procedures over the past two decades.
• To identify procedures with the largest increases in interest.
• To assess changes in interest over the last decade.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Google Trends to analyze search interest for 19 common cosmetic procedures from 2004 to 2021.
• Procedures were selected from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons website.
• Data were analyzed for overall trends and changes in the last decade.

Main Results:

• Interest in most plastic surgery procedures among men increased since 2004, with the exception of breast reduction.
• Jawline filler, Botox, microneedling, lip filler, chemical peel, CoolSculpting, and butt lift showed the most significant increases in interest.
• All examined procedures demonstrated a notable rise in interest over the last decade.

Conclusions:

• Google Trends is a valuable tool for predicting rapidly changing trends in plastic surgery, complementing surgical volume data.
• There is a clear increase in male interest in plastic surgery, particularly in non-surgical facial procedures.
• Anticipated continued growth in male interest in plastic surgery due to increasing diversity and generational shifts.