Cosmetic procedures on men increasing

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - Middle-aged men are a booming nip-and-tuck demographic. The Broadway playwright Matthew Lombardo sat down with Fox 5 to talk about men having cosmetic surgery, and when he decided to be one of them. He says when he turned 40 he noticed that his eyelids were droopy.

So he went to see Dr. Robert Schwarcz on the Upper East Side. Dr. Schwarcz removed fat around Lombardo's eyes that typically builds up as we age.

Cosmetic surgery was once considered an option only for wealthier aging women, but that time has passed. Dr. Schwarcz said that these days 25 percent of his patients are men, up from about 5 percent a decade ago. He said he is proud of that.

Proud is the key word here. As a gender, men tend to be very secretive about having work done -- more so than women.

This is where Lombardo's candor helps tell this story going from before, to after, making his eyes look more fresh. His appearance, once again, is matched the vibrancy of his character.

Experts say that 10 years ago, men were coming in dragged by their wives or because, looking to remain competitive at work, they were concerned about age discrimination. Today they say men are coming in because, like going to the gym or getting a haircut, they want to look good.

Check out this separate example: of the 70,000 breast-reduction surgeries last year, more than 40 percent were for male patients. Times have changed.