Especially for Men


Dr. Soto understands that men have special aesthetic needs. Men come to Dr. Soto with issues such as these:
  • A desire to look younger in order to remain competitive in their career.
  • Divorced men who are starting over and wish to look their best.
  • Men who, regardless of exercise, can’t get rid of their love handles
  • Male models who need implants to get more work
  • Bodybuilders when the traditional methods of weightlifting and exercise do not or cannot produce the desired results
  • Men who have more body hair than they wish to have

Facing Facts for Men

Did you know that men have different skin than do women? It’s true! On average, a man’s skin is 20% thicker than a woman’s, because it is richer in collagen and elastin. That’s why many men have fewer wrinkles than a woman of the same age.

A facelift procedure on a man is similar to that performed on a woman, but it does involve several techniques to optimize the results for a male patient. The key differences in a male and female facelift are the locations of the scars. Because men tend to wear their hair shorter than women and because men have facial hair that requires shaving, hiding facelift scars is more challenging. The scars are always placed as inconspicuously as possible, often along the natural crease where the ear meets the side of the face, around the earlobe, and into the lower scalp area under the hair. Dr. Soto is particularly careful to be certain that the bearded area of the face is not placed into the ears, but sutured at the front of the ear.

Recovery from a facelift is similar to that for a woman’s facelift.


Hair Removal for Men

Even though women have facial hair in many of the same places as men, the options for hair removal differ in how they affect the skin. Women often choose depilatories and tweezing and waxing when it comes to getting rid of unwanted facial hair. Men turn to shaving and typically target the cheeks, upper lip, chin and part of the neck area. For men who desire to remove body hair, such as that on the chest and back, laser hair removal is the option of choice. It’s much less painful than waxing and is relatively permanent.

Approximately 5-6 sessions are needed for complete hair removal because only 20% of the hair is on the surface of the skin—the rest of the hair follicles are lurking beneath the surface, ready to sprout new hair growth as soon as there is room to do so. Therefore, once the top 20% are lasered and those follicles die, the next 20% will grow to the top of the skin’s surface.

Laser hair removal is quite painless and very efficient—each session takes only about 30 minutes for the front and 30 minutes for the back.

Contact us today about laser hair removal, so you can forget the embarrassment of removing your shirt!


Calf Implants

Introduction

For men who desire proportioned legs but whose calves are not developed to their satisfaction, calf implants may be the solution. They are also often used when a patient has calves that are asymmetrical, ie, not both the same size, either due to trauma or simple growth differences.


How it's Done

Semisolid silicone gel implants are used for calf implants. These types of implants have been safely used for over 60 years, do not leak and are not experimental. There are new implants coming on the market that are made of soybean, but these have not yet obtained FDA approval.

Under general anesthesia in Dr. Soto’s accredited onsite surgical suite in Orlando, calf implants are placed behind the knee through the crease so that the resulting scar is fairly invisible. After positioning the implant, the sutures are closed and an elastic ace wrap is applied.


Recovery

You will feel a bit groggy after surgery and will need a ride home. Your calves will be fairly tender and walking will be painful for about two days, during which time Dr. Soto will prescribe pain medication. There is some swelling present for the first week which is treated with gentle compression garments. All sutures are absorbable, so there is no suture removal required. Most men are able to normal activities within about a week, though we suggest only moderate activity for the first six weeks after surgery.


Pectoral Implants

Introduction

Pectoral implants are ideal for men who are very flat-chested regardless of exercise and body building work; men who have Poland’s syndrome (chest shape is deficient or missing), uneven chest (one side larger than the other) or even those who are fairly chiseled and defined but desire a more “cut” appearance.


How it's Done

The procedure is performed under general anesthesia in Dr. Soto’s accredited surgical suite in Orlando. Pectoral implants are inserted under the armpit. The implants are semi-solid silicone material, the exact shape and size of which will be determined in your consultation appointment with Dr. Soto. After suturing the incision, the area is bandaged.


Recovery

In general, you can expect some mild swelling and discomfort, but will find that you feel comfortable enough to return to work or general activities within 3-5 days. Dr. Soto suggests that you refrain from strenuous activity, including heavy lifting or exercise for a period of 3 weeks. There is no suture removal, as the sutures are absorbed.


Skin Care for Men

Male skin has larger pores, a richer blood supply, and more active sebaceous glands than does female skin. Therefore, men’s skin is more prone to sweating and tends to be on the oilier side. This is one of the reasons that men’s facial skin looks younger, longer. Unfortunately, because men shave daily they often experience the challenge of dry and dehydrated skin.

Because men’s pores are larger than women’s and their skin tends to e oilier, male skin is, in fact, dirtier than female skin! Therefore, deep cleansing is a must for men. By sticking to a daily deep cleansing routine, men can continue to enjoy a clear and healthy complexion throughout their lives.

Call our office today to speak with our paramedical aesthetician, Amanda Chapman, about our men’s skincare options.


Male Body Contouring

Introduction

Male aesthetic surgery is among the most rapidly growing areas of plastic surgery. This is evident in the growing number of procedures and techniques being developed specifically to address men’s concerns.

At Aesthetic Enhancements Plastic Surgery, we pride ourselves on being able to offer men a wide range of options for the achievement of their individual goals. One of our most popular procedures among our male patients is VASER Liposelection, with the most common areas of desired improvement being the chest, abdomen and love handles.


Ideal Candidates

Not all men are great candidates for liposuction, as men often collect fat in the visceral compartment, meaning the excess abdominal fat is internal, within the space holding your stomach, intestines, and other vital organs. This is in contrast to the way most women collect excess fatty tissue in the subcutaneous space (under the skin). Therefore, a thorough evaluation is needed at the time of consultation to assess your candidacy for the procedure.

You must be healthy enough to undergo surgery and have the time and support necessary to recover from the procedure. Skin tone should be good, and there should be little excess skin. Those with diminished skin tone and/or excess skin may need to consider other options such as a lower body lift or abdominoplasty; Dr. Soto will be able to advise you as to the options available to you.


Types of Liposuction

Ultrasound assisted liposuction (VASER Liposelection) is an excellent option for men interested in body contouring, as the ultrasound improves removal of the thicker, more fibrous fatty tissue seen in men, with improved skin tightening compared with traditional tumescent liposuction or power-assisted liposuction.

The ultrasound energy effectively emulsifies the fatty tissue selectively, meaning there is less trauma to nerves and blood vessels, so there is less bruising and swelling in the postoperative period. You see dramatic improvement immediately after surgery with final results seen within 3 months.

Tumescent Liposuction involves the injection of fluid into the subcutaneous fat followed by removal of the fluid and fatty tissue using suction. This more mechanically dependent technique is not usually the best option for management of men’s more fibrous tissue.

Laser assisted liposuction is an emerging trend that may prove beneficial. As of this writing, there is no evidence that laser assisted liposuction offers benefits over the above techniques, and due to the heat generated by the laser filament, its safety is a concern as well.


How it's Done

Both ultrasound assisted and tumescent liposuction involve an initial infiltration of fluid through small, inconspicuous incisions into the space under the skin in order to expand the fatty tissue and shrink the blood vessels. This lowers the risk of bruising and makes fat removal more effective.

In the tumescent technique, the fat is aspirated using a surgical vacuum and special instruments. In the VASER Liposelection technique, an intermediate step, involving treatment of the fat with ultrasound energy, is performed before aspirating the fat.

Both types of liposuction require anesthesia, which may be simple injection of the fluid (which contains lidocaine), or may involve administration of a sedative or general anesthesia, depending on your preferences and the areas and volumes to be treated.

The incisions are then closed with a small suture and a compressive garment applied.


Recovery

The use of a compression garment is very important to the outcome of your surgery, as it assists in skin contraction and achievement of your desired shape. You will wear a garment that is chosen just for you and specific to the type and areas of liposuction for 4 weeks post surgery at all times except when in the shower. You may shower the day after surgery. Most patients develop mild to moderate bruising, swelling, and discomfort, but this passes fairly quickly.