Aging Men Are Turning to Plastic Surgery

An increasing number of middle-aged men who feel threatened by their younger colleagues are turning to cosmetic surgery to stay in the game. The trend worries activists fighting age bias in the workplace.

Some critics of plastic surgery say this drive for youth often overpowers safety concerns, particularly in Silicon Valley, with its legions of highly skilled young workers.

“The fastest-growing segment of my practice is men in their late 30s, 40s or early 50s,” said Dr. Michael Rabkin, a San Francisco ophthalmologist who performs many laser eyelid surgeries.

“Their main concern is the competitive business environment today,” he said. “They feel that if they’re perceived as looking old or fatigued, they’ll be at a disadvantage in the work force.”

Women still make up the majority of cosmetic surgery patients, accounting for about 85%of all procedures.

But more than 20,000 men underwent liposuction in 1997--triple the number that did so in 1992, according to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

The number of men getting eyelid surgery rose from about 8,900 to 14,000. The number getting face lifts rose from about 2,800 to 5,100.

Critics say cosmetic surgery should not be taken lightly, with procedures costing up to several thousand dollars and, in some cases, leading to life-threatening complications.

“People are doing this out of fear of aging, but it’s a superficial approach,” said Ann Eichhorn, executive director of the LifePlan Center, a San Francisco nonprofit that helps people over 45 with personal and career transitions.

Age discrimination is a problem for many older workers: More than 15,000 people filed age bias complaints with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last year. But Eichhorn says the surgery is a shallow response.

“If I were working with these people, I’d try to help them value who they really are,” Eichhorn said. “It’s a sad state of affairs when we get to a point where people take such dire measures and expense to change the way they appear to others.”

Dr. Roger Greenberg, a San Francisco plastic surgeon, performed a face lift and liposuction last month on a 45-year-old salesman who said his boss was favoring his younger colleagues.

“Even though he felt very productive, he feared he was starting to be treated as a senior citizen,” Greenberg said. “He wanted to have a facial rejuvenation, so he could look as young as he feels.”

Joseph Affatato, a 61-year-old military advisor to the Saudi government, had a complete face lift last year, primarily to make a youthful impression on his Middle Eastern business contacts.