The quest for the perfect pout doesn’t seem to be waning in popularity, as more and more patients seek aesthetic enhancement to plump up their lips. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there is a lip procedure performed about every 20 minutes in the United States. The trend for soft, pillowy lips is so big right now, it has even caught on with men, with one surgeon even giving it a catchy new nickname, the “macho mouth.”
Miami plastic surgeon Rian Maercks, MD, tells Daily Mail the trend for men to seek larger lips is driven largely by our image based culture. “Social media, dating apps, selfie culture…that culture has a big part of it,” says Dr. Maercks. “Even our politicians embody and celebrate narcissism—we have never been more encouraged to analyze our facial features.” The trend he says, is for male patients to seek a “proud lower lip,” and he cites celebrities like Brad Pitt, Harry Styles, Channing Tatum and Henry Cavill as inspirations for the fuller lip look.
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To confirm whether this trend is really taking over if it’s just another catchy phrase like “Brotox,”we reached out to top aesthetic doctors and asked if they’ve seen an increase in male patients seeking lip enhancements. Mount Pleasant, SC, plastic surgeon Jack Hensel, MD, says he has seen an increase in “manjections” at his practice: “This is definitely a rising trend. We have seen about a 10 percent increase in men asking for lip injections. Some popular celebrities that my patients want to emulate are Brad Pitt, Tatum Channing, Will Smith and Shemar Moore.”
According to New York dermatologist Julie Russak, MD, although there hasn’t been an uptick in lip injections specifically at her practice, she does see more men than ever before coming in to do little tweaks and fix things that are bothering them. “Men are becoming increasingly comfortable voicing their aesthetic concerns,” she says. “I haven’t see a lot of requests for lip injections from male patients at my practice, but I have seen a significant increase in men opting for aesthetic treatments overall. Men frequently desire a strong jawline, refreshed eyes or relaxed forehead lines. Balancing the lips also provides harmony to the lower face.”
While it may still be too early to call “manjections” a bonafide trend, it’s clear that more men are turning to aesthetic professionals to make small adjustments to their features or emulate their favorite celebrities. “We even have a specific treatment area in our office called The Manor that is especially for men so they feel comfortable asking about different procedures they would not normally ask about,” adds Dr. Hensel.
“Male concerns, anatomy and thus treatment protocols are very different than women,” explains Dr. Russak. “We cater to both men and women, but my male patients usually are not seeking perfection, just a refreshed and defined overall look.”
