Plastic surgery may boost your confidence, but it can also ruin your relationship.
Kim Mead’s 55-year-old husband, David, had undergone plastic surgery and while he may have had three-and-a-half litres of fat vacuumed from his torso during his liposuction procedure, his vanity knew no bounds.
“In fact, now he’s had surgery, he is worse than ever . . . the effort he puts into his appearance!”says Kim.
David, the managing director of an energy company, is just one of the many men going under the knife. A survey by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons last month revealed that 4,500 men had surgical work done last year, a 17% increase from 2012.
According to the research, the most popular procedures were liposuction and reductions of man boob, which increased by 28% and 24% respectively. Demands for these surgeries come not only from younger men but also from men who are in their forties.
“The rise of the metrosexual man, personified by celebrities such as David Beckham and Shane Warne, has certainly put pressure on other men to look a certain way,” says psychologist Amanda Hills. “There are also increasing numbers of middle-aged men re-entering the dating scene who are swayed by the promises of surgery. But mostly I think men see women who have had surgery looking flawless and feel compelled to match them. They believe this is what women want.”
David, from Basildon, Essex, is the first to admit he is vain. Since he and Kim married in 1979, he has been lifting weights three times a week to maintain his physique. Kim’s exercise routine, meanwhile, has largely been limited to the odd few lengths of the local swimming baths.
“I’m only 5ft 6in. As a short man I felt I had to try harder to look attractive,” says David.
In the beginning, Kim, 57 and a size 16, admired his discipline: “I have always struggled with my own weight and yo-yo dieted over the years — I just lacked the motivation to do anything about it.”
But as middle-age advanced, David became more and more unhappy. “I started developing man boobs, love handles and excess fat on my stomach,” he says. “I was fighting a losing battle. I’d look in the mirror and feel miserable. When I hit 50, I decided I was going to get fit. I suppose it was a mid-life crisis.”
Kim struggled to rationalise how her husband was feeling. “David always moaned that his tummy hung over his trousers, but I still found him attractive,” she says.
Her reassurances fell on deaf ears. After three years of diets, David made the drastic decision to have liposuction at the beginning of 2012.
“David moaned so much that in the end I said: ‘Just get on with it’,”Kim says.
His three-hour procedure took place in April 2012 and fat was removed from his stomach, chest and back. Although he was badly bruised and in pain, the effect on David’s body — and ego — were immediate, as his weight dropped instantly.
“It was the best money I’ve ever spent. It spurred me on to do more exercise,” he says. “Looking good gives me a buzz, which hasn’t done our sex life any harm.”
Now David is trying to persuade Kim to follow his lead. “We’d both be happier if Kim was slimmer,” he says. “That said, after 35 years of marriage I love her for more than just the way she looks.”
In any case, Kim has told her husband in no uncertain terms that she won’t be joining in his footsteps. “I am not concerned about my appearance to that extent. Besides, David hasn’t had surgery for me — it’s all about him, and his desire for control. I don’t find him any more attractive now than I did before.”
A cautionary tale for any woman whose husband dreams of going under the knife.
