Back in 2018, the cosmetic surgery industry in the UK was estimated to be in the region of £273 million.
Interesting, this market is continuing to grow in line with rising demand amongst men, with around 47% of British males now claiming that they would be interested in undergoing some form of cosmetic surgery in the near-term.
We’ll explore this further below, while appraising the most popular procedures and asking why men are investing more in cosmetic surgery?
Where are Men Spending Their Money?
When it comes to the male market, we can see that enquiries about certain procedures have risen by more than 100% over the course of the last two years alone.
According to data derived from Transform, the number of UK searches for the term ‘male rhinoplasty’ (which refers to cosmetic nose surgery) increased by a whopping 128% year-on-year in 2019.
Similarly, the number of searches pertaining to gynaecomastia (which relates to male breast reduction) increased by 88% during the same period, while the corresponding hike in the number of ‘hair transplant’ searches rose by 84% overall.
Given these numbers, it should come as no real surprise that the three most popular cosmetic surgery treatments for men in the UK are rhinoplasty, gynaecomastia and liposuction, while hair transplants are also becoming increasingly commonplace as they become more accessible and affordable nationwide.
This data, which was derived from a survey that featured 1,000 male respondents, highlights the growing demand for certain cosmetic procedures.
The information also found that just two out of every 10 men (18%) were actively opposed to the idea of cosmetic surgery, and this number is likely to fall further in the process.
Why is Cosmetic Surgery Becoming Increasingly Popular Amongst Men?
With liposuction procedures also increasingly popular amongst men, we can see that the hair (or hairlines), nose and stomach are amongst the three main areas that men target when considering cosmetic surgery.
This insight is telling, as these represent prominent and highly visible areas of the human body, and are therefore more likely to be linked to low body confidence and conditions such as Body dysmorphic disorder.
This may mean that men (particularly younger males and Millennials who are driving the market’s growth) are struggling to conform with the same social expectations that have impacted on women over the years, particularly in the age of beauty-driven social media platforms such as Instagram.
These factors, when coupled with the rising accessibility and affordability of cosmetic procedures in the modern age, have clearly contributed to a rise in male surgery and increased demand throughout the UK (and especially in metropolitan areas like Manchester, London and Leeds).
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
