Cosmetic Procedures for Men

When it comes to cosmetic surgery, it pays to choose only the best. The Gladstone Clinic offers cosmetic surgery for men.

The Difference

While Women and Men are created equal, they have different needs when it comes to rejuvenation. This is due to anatomy, the aging process and secondarily self-perception and perception by society. In both women and men, symmetry, averageness, gender characteristics (prominent forehead; lower brows large nose, strong jawline and chin, full head of hair); skin color and tone/smoothness and tautness play major roles in attractiveness and facial communication. Yet aging is different. Dr. Gladstone was the senior author of a landmark study demonstrating the difference in structural facial aging between women and men.

For most of the 20th century, the large majority of men ignored the aging process and traditionally did not have cosmetic procedures. With increased life expectancy, technology to functionally slow the aging process, and subsequent longer careers, more active retirements, and more romantic opportunities, more mature men have considered rejuvenating procedures. Youthful robustness has also become more important in younger men who hope to advance in the workforce.

Men tend to have thicker and oily skin from sebum generated by testosterone. Men have larger thicker facial bones and larger muscles. Men lose facial fat in different ways than women. All of these anatomic qualities determine the types of treatments and amounts used—for instance more Botox® or Dysport® may be a need in men’s frown lines for the forehead. Fillers may need to be placed in different facial areas in the cheek and temple areas. Certain tightening and procedures such as liposuction of the neck may help to produce a stronger jawline along with a chin augmentation with a filler.

Men have different areas of excess fat deposits, most commonly on the flanks known as “love handles.” These fat deposits extend to both the front and back and blunt the desired muscular triangular physique desired by most men. Men also have different hair concerns than women. Hair loss in men can cause issues in self-esteem and perception. Dr. Gladstone specializes in hair transplant using advanced SmartGraft technology.

*Individual Results May Vary

The Experience

While the Gladstone Clinic strives to provide the best and compassionate care for all patients, men generally want a different cosmetic visit experience. Men have a problem that they want solved – hair reduced, for instance. Understanding the risks, benefits, and alternatives are always important for any treatment, but during a consultation, men want it streamlined: what the procedure is; the time involved; how many times; the cost. The plan either works for them or doesn’t. Most Men are intolerant of downtime as well as putting cover up on to camouflage the short term effects of a procedure.

Treatment

At the Gladstone Clinic, we strive to minimize pain during procedures and maximize patient comfort. There is some truth that women handle cosmetic procedures better than men. While this may be experiential, it is also anatomic. Men have thousands of hair follicles in their face which have nerve endings and a generous blood supply. On the face, they may be more sensitive and more prone to bleeding. This may translate to a longer time for topical numbing creams for certain procedures.

Though more men are considering rejuvenation procedures, many also desire that both consults and treatments be performed in a more private, customized setting compared to the standard cosmetic environment. The Gladstone Clinic will offers exclusive “Menaissence” sessions.

*Individual Results May Vary

Skin Care

This is an often overlooked aspect of men’s rejuvenation, but it is simple and has very little downtime. Dr. Gladstone understands that men want solutions that are simple and straightforward—not 5 different creams to be placed on at different times of the day. Sunblock, moisturizing and anti-oxidant creams that quench free radicals, and keep your skin healthy are carried by the Gladstone Clinic.

For many men, polishing their skin with the Little-To-No Downtime Derma Sweep may be the solution. Our aesthetician, Anna is an expert with this machine and creates glowing results. She also offers weak peels with minimal downtime that can smooth your skin.

Botox®/Dysport®

Your face is an organ of communication. Have you ever wondered why your deep forehead “worry” lines or your frown lines had given people the wrong impression of you? Communicating the appropriate first impression is important both in the professional and social worlds. Botox® or Dysport® can relax those lines for 3-4 months in a natural manner.  Dr. Gladstone is an expert injector. He has taught dermatologists how to inject.

Fillers & Placement

Have you ever wondered why you were passed up for that promotion or plum project? Part of the reason may be you appear worn and less energetic even though you are not! Dr. Gladstone can help you recreate the chisled “Superman” face. Recreating the facial angular roundness of youth by filling in temples, cheeks and decreasing demarcations such as the prejowl groove can make you appear more youthful. Dr. Gladstone injects most fillers from Juvederm® to Sculptra® and also including fat depending on your needs. He has taught other physician his techniques and is part of a highly acclaimed training video on injecting both Botox®/disport and fillers.

Lasers and Light for Rosacea and Nasal Veins

At the Gladstone Clinic, we have the 532 nm KTP laser. It is best in class for reducing stubborn veins around the nose, cheeks, and chin. It can also reduce redness from rosacea.  It does require multiple short treatments. Generally, there is no downtime.

Love Handles and CoolSculpting™

Despite our best efforts at workouts and diets, at a certain point, whether you have been a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, the fat on our bellies or flanks just won’t go away—and seem to be increasing. CoolSculpting™ is the revolutionary, best in class device that noninvasively freezes fat with no downtime and improves body contour. It can be used for many different areas from the abdomen to the back and sides. At the Gladstone Clinic, we have dual CoolSculpting™ machines which decrease the time of treatment by half. At the Gladstone Clinic, you can comfortably be treated while working on your laptop, or just relax and watch TV.

Acne Scars

Acne scars come in different shapes and forms and require a combination of treatments. At the Gladstone Clinic, Dr. Gladstone is an expert in combining the latest fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with subscision or fillers. This combination improves your skin topography by breaking up the scars and creating new collagen. Dr. Gladstone is one few doctors in the Bay Area to use the revolutionary Profound fractional RF device which softens acne scars, and is safe on darker skin types. For some types of scarring, Dr. Gladstone also injects Bellafil which permanently reduces acne scars.

Rhinophyma

Rhinophyma is the end stage of rosacea. Many middle-aged men have this condition. Rhinophyma can distort a very handsome face. Dr. Gladstone has published his technique in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery. He uses high-tech laser resurfacing and traditional techniques to achieve significant improvement. There is downtime, but most men believe it is worth it to have a more normal appearing nose.

Aesthetic Surgery

Dr. Gladstone performs aesthetic surgery with local anesthesia and oral sedation which leads to a quicker recovery.

SmartGraft™ Hair Transplant

Your hair is an integral part of your face and how you present yourself to the world. While there are many factors that contribute to professional and personal success, a face well framed by a full head of hair is definitely one of them. A robust head of hair can make you feel more confident and ready to tackle any challenges. It does make you appear younger.

Dr. Gladstone has been performing hair transplants since 1999. Currently, he performs follicular unit extraction using the cutting edge SmartGraft™ technology. This method does not leave a linear scar, has shorter downtime, and has a more natural appearance and is permanent. This is a permanent investment in yourself.

Tumescent Liposuction

Tumescent liposuction is performed with microcannulas. It can be very effective for the double chin and can shape the neck. To turbocharge the result, Dr. Gladstone will often add a noninvasive tightening procedure 2 months after the neck liposuction which further tightens the skin.

While CoolSculpt™ may be appropriate for many men, in some men tumescent liposuction may provide better results. Liposuction can be used on the chest to reduce gynecomastia (man boobs), on the abdomen, flanks, and back are the most common areas. Downtime may be up to a week, though normal daily activities except for heavy lifting and athletic activity, can usually be resumed in 48 hours. The final results for liposuction which also includes some tightening of the skin may take 4-6 months.

Tumescent liposuction is used for contouring. It is not for weight loss. While many men begin to have protruding midsection as they approach their forties, some of this fat may be “intra-abdominal” and not accessible by liposuction.

The best candidates are not far from their ideal weight and have a healthy diet and work out on a regular basis.

Eyelid Tightening

*Individual Results May Vary

Extra skin on the upper eyelids and bags underneath the eyes can make you look tired, not alert and older than your age. Upper eyelid tuck known as a blepharoplasty will surgically reduce skin. Unlike women, less skin is reduced from a man’s upper eyelid in order not to feminize them. Reducing skin can make your eyes appear larger and more youthful. They can possibly not feel as heavy. As an adjunct to an upper blepharoplasty, Dr. Gladstone may recommend a browlift. There are both noninvasive and surgical browlifts which can slightly elevate the eyebrows and stabilize them.

A lower blepharoplasty reduces bags underneath the eyes. Dr. Gladstone uses the transconjunctival approach meaning that there is no visible scar. The key is reduce some of the fat but not all of it otherwise underneath the eyes may appear hollow and contribute to the aged look. As an adjunct to the lower blepharoplasty, Dr. Gladstone almost always performs laser resurfacing which can tighten the skin around the lower eyelid and may reduce wrinkles. This is performed the same day.

Dr. Gladstone performs these procedures with local anesthesia and oral sedation. Downtime is usually one week, though you can work from home.

The Neck

The chin, underneath the chin and the neck really help to define a man’s facial masculinity. Combination procedures are utilized. If you have a double chin, then neck liposuction, a minimally invasive procedure will provide you with a possibly improved neck contour. Dr. Gladstone often performs a noninvasive skin tightening procedure a few weeks after the neck liposuction to further tighten the skin. For many men, this combination may also provide better chin definition and prominence. Downtime can be 3-5 days for neck liposuction—you may be able to go back to work on Monday if the procedure is performed on Thursday.

For men with loose skin and neck bands—the dreaded turkey neck—surgery is required. Dr. Gladstone performs a formal neck lift using local anesthesia with oral sedation. The scar starts behind the ear and continues into the hairline. For men with very short hair, the scar may be noticeable. Dr. Gladstone uses absorbable stitches which reduces the hassle of having the stitches reduced. It is important to understand that a neck lift will not take care of your jowls.

For men who really don’t tolerate the downtime of surgery for the neck, a combination of Botox® for the neck bands (which will require repeated treatments) and a noninvasive tightening procedure (multiple treatments) may provide some improvement.

*Individual Results May Vary

Facelift

For both women and men, a natural looking facelift is very important. A facelift that is too tight or in the wrong direction will make a man appear very unnatural and strange appearing—not more masculine and rejuvenated.

Though it may be natural to focus on neck bands and loose neck skin, the neck, and the face need to be harmonious. Therefore, a facelift for many men may be the better option.

Special considerations need to be taken into account when performing a facelift on a man. The skin is thicker and heavier. The neck’s platysmal muscle which creates the bands may be thicker. Hair follicles in the beard area may create a higher risk of bleeding. A man’s hair style makes it virtually impossible to hide the front part of the facelift scar.

If a man is only concerned about his lower face and does not have major neck issues, then a short scar mini facelift will be appropriate. It can improve jowling. Dr. Gladstone includes neck liposuction with this procedure. Downtime can be about 5 days.

A full lower facelift is essentially a neck lift combined with a short scar mini facelift. It provides the best effect though down time is about 10 days. Dr. Gladstone will often combine either facelift procedure with fractional laser resurfacing since a facelift does not reduce wrinkles. For the man who has both lax skin and prominent cheek acne scarring, a facelift combined with laser resurfacing may significantly improve the scars.

Facelift scars in a man can require several months to become much less visible. At the Gladstone Clinic, we offer medical micropigmentation (permanent camouflage) which may fade most of the scar.

From the moment you walk into the Gladstone Clinic, you’ll find that our staff is both professional and gracious, while Dr. Gladstone is warm, knowledgeable and incredibly skilled. Using the latest and most advanced procedures for cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, our team offers services emphasizing overall health and wellness to the residents of San Ramon, Danville, Pleasanton, San Francisco, and the surrounding communities in California.  Contact us now to set up your complimentary consultation!

*Individual results may vary.