UK — We
may have a chuckle at Simon Cowell's full-chested look,
but he is not the only man on the beach with man
boobs.
And although Cowell, 47,
may be happy to show off his figure as it is, there are
many who are keen to change the shape of
theirs.
Last year a record 177
men resorted to liposuction to reduce the size of their
breasts, surgeons say.
This was eight times the
number who had the procedure three years
arlier.
But the reason for the
rise remains uncertain.
You might think that
"moobs" are simply the product of overindulgence –
not necessarily.
Some blame the problem on
"gender-bending" pollution.
Female hormones from
contraceptive pills and HRT which are washed into our
waterways, have already been blamed for making fish
change sex.
It is thought the
hormones may also be behind the growth of breast tissue
in men.
Men who have lost weight
may experience a similar phenomenon as they are left with
stubborn pockets of fat on the chest.
Liposuction, in which the
excess fat is "vacuumed" from the body, is a popular
option.
Adam Searle, consultant
plastic surgeon at London's Royal Marsden Hospital, said:
"Men come along and say, 'I am in the gym all the time. I
have these lovely pecs but the fat on the side of the
flank will not budge.'
"Some feel the male
breast can respond well to liposuction."
Simon Cowell is not the
only celebrity to suffer.
Tony Blair, Trevor Eve,
Michael Douglas, Jack Nicholson and David Gest have all
been pictured showing off their upper-body
measurements.
The figures, from the
British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, show
that liposuction is the fastest growing surgical
procedure.
Commonly carried out on
the stomach, thighs and "love handles", liposuction has
gone from being the eighth most popular procedure in 2005
– when 2,099 were carried out – to the third
most common last year, with almost 4,000
operations.
Anti-ageing procedures
including facelifts, eyelid surgery and brow lifts showed
a steady rise in popularity of about 50 per
cent.
The number of breast
implants went up by just 9 per cent, to 6,156 procedures
– but it is still the most popular form of plastic
surgery.
The Association's members
– who account for a third of Britain's cosmetic
surgeons, performed 29,000 operations last
year.
This suggests that about
90,000 were carried out in total.
Rajiv Grover, consultant
plastic surgeon and said: "Judging by the dramatic rise
in certain procedures, it is clear we are becoming a more
body-image conscious society.
"However, it is important
to note that liposuction and tummy tucks are not a
treatment for weight management or obesity: they are body
contouring procedures for patients near or already at
their ideal body weight."
Mr Grover, a member of
the Association's council, responsible for the UK
national audit of cosmetic surgery, added: "When
performed under the right circumstances, aesthetic
surgery can have a very positive psychological impact and
improve quality of life."
