"When you are striving for perfect proportions, you want to get rid of the flaws," said the effervescent businessman who recently endured a tummy tuck. Arend's hard silicone implants will run him $6,500 to $7,000.
"When you are pursuing a healthy lifestyle and certain parts are not where you want, it's frustrating."
Who says plastic surgery enhancements are just for women? Men these days are spending top dollar on a gang of outpatient and operation-room fixes that were once reserved for women, from tummy tucks to Botox. And they are getting a few procedures created just for them, including square-jaw chin implants, pec implants, and liposuction to suck away man boobs.
"Every man wants a nice square jaw," said Washington-based Steven Hopping, immediate past president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. Hopping says Washington businessmen are trying to compete with the looks of the younger men in the Obama administration - the models of Beltway machismo.
"They want their eyes less baggy. They want to reduce their waists. They aren't shooting for the moon. They just want to look a little better."
This surge of interest by men is more than stereotypical metrosexual fashion chitchat. No, these guys aren't trying to find their feminine side. And they will still cut a phone conversation short to watch their favorite football team.
Their interest in the fixes are twofold. For one, men's fashion has been undergoing a major silhouette change, from frumpy to tailored. And many men, argued Cherry Hill-based plastic surgeon Steven Davis, want their face to go with it.
Also, the recession seems to be pushing men to get nipped, tucked, and collagened. Men older than 35 are starting to feel the kind of pressure women always have felt in the workplace to look ageless. And now that jobs are scarce, they are competing with younger guys. Looks, after all, do matter.
