Last updated at 12:24, Thursday, 04 February 2010

Titter ye not... but breast reduction ops for men is the fastest growing part of the cosmetic surgery industry for the second year running.

The number of such operations rose from 323 in 2008 to 581 last year – an 80 per cent increase according to the nation’s plastic surgeons.

It should not be a laughing matter and I’m sure for some men it really is the last resort, only taken because they feel so awful about their appearance.

But it’s hard not to poke fun, especially when the people who supplied the vital statistics are the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (or Baaps).

And I can’t help but feel that most of the nipping and tucking would have been carried out on men who also go in for eye tucks, hair weaves, and a waxing of the chest, armpits and other areas too painful to mention here.

People with too much money, too much time to stare into a mirror and too little sense to spend their time and money on more sensible things.

Consultant plastic surgeon Rajiv Grover said: “Many men are feeling the pressure from men’s magazines that weren’t even being published five or six years ago.

“But quite a few cases are caused by obesity, and we often say to men to look at their lifestyles before thinking about the scalpel.”

Despite the ever-increasing vanity of men, it seems the opposite pressure is still being exerted on the female of the species.

Nine out of 10 cosmetic procedures carried out by members of (Baaps) in 2009 were performed on women, with breast enlargement the most popular operation. All of which is a lot more worrying.

First published at 11:23, Thursday, 04 February 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk