NEW YORK, JUNE 6, 2003

What looks good on the goose looks good on the gander too, a new survey shows.

Men are turning to plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures to brighten up their appearances at a faster rate than women, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

Men's use of fat injections to soften deep wrinkles leapt by 497 per cent last year from the previous year while women's use of the injections fell by 36 per cent, according to the American Academy of Facial and Plastic Reconstructive Surgeons survey.

The survey also said that men's use of Botox injections to eliminate frown lines rose 88 per cent, in contrast to an 8 per cent fall for women.

For smoothing skin, use of microdermabrasion among men rose 79 per cent and use of laser resurfacing rose 13 per cent, the survey showed.

Meanwhile, women's use of microdermabrasion dropped 13 per cent and their use of laser resurfacing fell by 38 per cent during the same period, the survey showed.

The number of men getting rhinoplasty - more commonly known as nose jobs - rose 47 per cent while the number of women doing so rose 5 per cent, it said.

Typically, men and women visiting plastic surgeons for cosmetic reasons were aged 40 to 59, it said.

The study said 44 per cent of men and 57 per cent of women tell their doctors that looking younger is the reason they are choosing cosmetic surgery.

Copyright @ 2003 Singapore Press Holdings