Cosmetic

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JASON BOOTH

Staff Reporter

Mike has almost 25 years of experience as a Realtor. He dresses well and goes to the gym regularly. But at 52, he’s afraid that he’ll be perceived as an “old” worker less attractive, energetic and capable than his younger competitors.

His solution? Plastic surgery. He recently underwent an operation to remove the bags from above and below his eyes.

“I’m as good at my job as anyone else, but in this business you are in front of people every day, and image matters,” said Mike, who declined to give his surname. “I don’t want people to judge me based on my age.”

He is hardly alone. Remaining competitive in the business world is a prime motivator for many 40-, 50- and 60-somethings, a growing number of them men, to seek nips and tucks.

“It is very common for our patients to tell us that they have a younger competitor and that they have a definite sense that being older is a disadvantage,” said Santa Monica plastic surgeon Dr. Harvey Zarem.

More than 20,000 men underwent liposuction in 1997, three times the number in 1992, according to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The number of men getting eyelid surgery rose from about 8,900 to 14,000 during that time and the number of men getting facelifts rose from about 2,800 to 5,100.

“Looking younger to compete in the workplace is one of the most common reasons I hear from men seeking cosmetic surgery,” Dr. Dennis Lynch, president of the ASPRS, said in a statement.

Burton, a 73-year-old, recently retired banking executive who also declined to use his surname, said he has undergone various cosmetic procedures in the last 20 years, including a facelift, nose job and liposuction. He says the surgery has taken 15 years off his appearance.

“It has helped me a great deal in my business, because you are what you look,” he said. “It’s like when you put on a good suit. When you go out into the business world, people treat you differently.”

Plastic surgeons say eye jobs are particularly popular for men wanting to look younger. In a relatively quick procedure that, if done correctly, leaves inconspicuous scars, excess skin is removed from the space between the eyelid and the eyebrow, along with any fat that has built up behind the skin.

“I felt that the bags under my eyes made me look older,” said Steve, a 38-year-old lawyer. So he had the bags removed, and then more recently underwent liposuction to remove fat from around his stomach.

“I could have done it through exercise and diet, but who has time anymore?” he said.

Trial lawyers are particularly interested in maintaining their look as they grow older, according to local plastic surgeons. Chin implants, where a plastic insert is used to produce a more prominent chin, are especially popular, said Century City-based surgeon Peter B. Fodor. “Having a weak chin does not help your case,” he said.

Like so many trends in the last 30 years, the rise in plastic surgery has been attributed to baby boomers.

“That entire generation has clearly said that they don’t want to grow up,” said Dr. Brian Kinney, chief of plastic surgery at Century City Hospital. “So there are 50 million people in this country who will do whatever they can to stay young.”

Advocates for equal treatment of older workers take a mixed view of the use of plastic surgery. While they say it is a symptom of the American public’s excessive fixation with youth and good looks, some admit that cosmetic surgery might benefit some older workers.

“It’s a sad commentary on the times,” said Helen Dennis, a USC professor who specializes in issues affecting older workers. “I have a real concern that once people’s ability is no longer the driving force behind getting a job, it’s not healthy for businesses and employees.”

Sally James, executive director of Career Encores, a non-profit agency that helps older professionals secure employment, is more forgiving.

“If it makes them feel better about themselves and as a result more confident, then more power to them,” she said. “But I think that with the proper coaching, anyone can sell themselves at any age as long as they keep their skills current.”

Anyone who opts for cosmetic surgery is advised to make sure it is done well. If it’s obvious that a person has been going under the knife, it can be a sign of excessive vanity or insincerity.

“At the executive level, appearance is critical,” said Robert Rollo, managing partner at executive search firm R. Rollo Associates. “But a fake appearance can be looked at as an integrity flaw. Anything that looks fake will immediately discount that person’s ability.”

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