Overall, the men who seek cosmetic improvement are from all occupations, from engineers and high-level managers, to sales representatives and executives. According to Gaboriau, by the time they arrive in his office, they have already researched the procedures and have decided which one they want to have done. He has observed that 20 percent of his patients are men, which is higher than the national average of 17 percent.
Aside from having a thriving medical practice, Dr. Gaboriau keeps current on how pop culture influences new trends in aesthetics. The popularity of media icons J-Lo and Kim Kardashian has inspired an uptick in the number of women who are undergoing “butt implants” to achieve big bubble butts. While breast implants have been the raison d'etre for cosmetic surgeons over the last 20 years, butt implants are a growing trend.
Women are not alone in their quest for sculpted enhancement. For men, especially body builders, the number-one surgery tends to be for calf implants. Gaboriau cites this surgery being popular because men who are not born with large calves often have difficulty increasing the size of their calves through weight training alone.
More bounce in California
If more people than ever are having cosmetic surgery, where do they live? It is not surprising to cite California, especially the greater Los Angeles area*, as having more plastic surgery patients per capita than any other area of the United States. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) member directory* (which doesn't contain all the plastic surgeons in the area) lists at least 72 plastic surgeons for the city of Beverly Hills alone. If the population were scaled up to a "per-100,000-people" basis, they would likely have the equivalent of more than 200 plastic surgeons per 100,000 people.
Other areas vying for higher-than-average rates of cosmetic surgery include Miami, Fla., and Scottsdale and Tucson, Ariz. The ASPS, National Institute of Health (NIH), RealSelf.com, and the U.S. Census Bureau show that 4.93 percent of women in the U.S. have undergone breast augmentation surgery. Breast implants, specifically very large breast implants, are in abundance everywhere, but surprisingly the conservative Mormon state of Utah reports the highest numbers of surgeries. Gaboriau is quick to add that the increased acceptance of plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures is in every area of the country — and is the new reality of American life.