Image Source –  Pinterest

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder but does it lie in the eyes of the beheld too?

Frankly, it seems quite unlikely that the latter part holds true. The history of beautification goes way back to the 16th century, when people started using cosmetic products and procedures to enhance their looks. Today, the variety of cosmetic procedures are expanding rapidly due to technological advances and this has just made the whole thing more rigorous and intense.

As looking ‘perfect’ becomes the new norm, people tend to think that this will somehow make them more likeable and uplift their social status. Every demographic has their own reasons and explanations for getting more and more inclined towards cosmetic surgeries. The aged want to preserve their youthful skin, deformities need to be corrected, and if nothing else, people want to go that extra mile to enhance their looks just because they can afford it.

According to a 2019 survey by RealSelf, the top cited motivations among those who’ve had or are thinking about a cosmetic treatment are “to improve self-esteem/confidence” and “to look as good as I feel.” So maybe getting your lips plumped won’t have benefits beyond increasing your self-esteem. But “in certain circumstances, some cosmetic treatments can benefit your health ”

Botox, for instance, has been shown to help with conditions such as chronic migraines, excessive sweating, Bell’s palsy, and perhaps even major depression. Women who choose a breast reduction often get relief from disc or back problems. And plastic surgery allows people who’ve gone through weight loss surgery to shed extra skin that can cause severe rashes and infections.

“While we may not be curing cancer ” BUT  “the impact and psychological benefit [of some cosmetic treatments] can be profound.”

“Despite all of the changes in the technical aspects of aesthetic surgery, human desires and motivations remain the same,” said Devgan. “We all want to present our best selves to the world — the ways we do that depend on who we are.”

What is rather intriguing is that as times become more advanced, both men and women are equally spending time and money on their personal appearance. As a proof of progressive cultural shift, both men and women are focusing on maintaining their looks now more than ever. In this article, we talk about gender based preferences of surgical procedures in the present world.

Image Source – Medzino

As shown in the above infographic, women are far more into plastic surgeries than men. A plausible explanation for this uneven distribution of numbers is that since its inception, cosmetic surgeries have been undertaken more by women and hence the majority of such procedures are tailored to women. And the procedures for women are often not for men and vice-versa. But as a matter of fact, the unisexual surgeries are often undertaken more by men than women, such as – liposuction and tummy tuck surgeries.

According to a report published by Medzino, breast surgeries are the oldest and the most prevalent across the world. This means that women have been going for surgical treatments long before men entered the arena. Here is the piece from the report which illustrates the popularity of breast enhancement procedures as a function of cup size in women.

Image Source –  Medzino

The above illustration shows two variations of breast surgeries – namely ‘breast implants’ and ‘breast lift’. Women with cup size B tend to go for breast surgeries more than any other cup size. Also, breast implants are far more popular than breast lifts.

Within the field of plastic surgery, genital cosmetic surgery has been picking up steam for both women and men. There are plenty of options in the name of genital cosmetic interventions and other ‘improvements’ which have gained popularity amongst both the genders. Here is an excerpt from the report which highlights the major surgeries which have gained prominence in this area.

Image Source –  Medzino

A major trend that can be derived from the above graph is that the number of females opting for vaginal tightening and labiaplasty are on a steady rise from 2013 to 2017. Whereas there are less and less males going for penis enlargement with a steady decline from 10,000 in 2013 to only 2000 in 2016. This shows a disparity between the genders when it comes to psychological aspects of seeking validation about one’s physical appearance. Women tend to be harsher and go hard on themselves for some reason when it comes to looking and feeling better than males.

Keeping the above value points in mind, it would be great to check out the expansive and interactive report compiled by Medzino on the surgical trends in the world and how they are affecting social and cultural norms in various parts of the world.