Why ARE so many men going under the knife?

There was a time when the only things that made Gordon Ramsay’s face puff out and his hair stand on end was the sight of a soggy soufflé.

But last week, as the celebrity chef went on a New Year’s walk with his friends the Beckhams, there was another reason for his unusual appearance.

Ramsay, the Rottweiler of the kitchen, has undergone a £30,000 hair transplant to thicken his thinning pate. Surprisingly, the supposed hard man, who peppers every sentence with at least four F words, actually seems to care what other people think about his appearance — and he’s not alone.

According to the latest statistics from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), demand for surgery among men grew by 21 per cent last year, despite the economic downturn. The number of gynaecomastia — operations to deal with the dreaded man boobs, or ‘moobs’ as they’ve become known — soared by 80 per cent alone.

The procedure ranks alongside rhinoplasty (nose job), liposuction, otoplasty (ear correction) and blepharoplasty (eye bag removal) as one of the five most popular surgeries for men.

Duncan Bannatyne of Dragons’ Den has been open about having his eye bags removed a few years ago, U.S. actor Mickey Rourke is unrecognisable thanks to his facelift, while actor Rupert Everett has clear signs of wind-tunnel effect.

Dr Daniel Sister, of BeautyWorksWest, a specialist in aesthetic medicine and non-surgical procedures, says: ‘Men now account for 30 per cent of my work. Because of the economic crisis, they are either seeking jobs or trying to keep them, so they want to look good — not too tired or worried.’

Giving themselves the edge at work seems to be the key for many men going under the knife.

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