Cosmetic surgery boom for men

Men desperate to look young are fuelling a boom in cosmetic surgery.

The most popular requests are eye bag removal, wrinkle fillers and baldness treatments.

City men are particular fans. Such is the demand among men with bonuses to burn that one leading cosmetic surgery firm is to open a branch in Canary Wharf.

Male executives in their thirties are among those having facial injections of Botox relaxants and collagen to smooth out the tell-tale signs of ageing.

In a cut-throat working environment, where any sign of weakness is seized on by rivals, bankers and office high-fliers are spending thousands of pounds a visit.

Harley chairman Mel Braham said: "There is a pressure on jobs and the general appearance in the City. The ravages of life catch up - people work late, travel long distances and entertain clients. It shows on the face."

Also aimed at men is a new facial de-wrinkler being developed by Intercytex Group. The treatment involves minute injections of healthy living skin cells to stimulate growth which the firm hopes will compete with collagen.

It is also developing a series of injections for baldness at up to £50,000 a go. Intercytex chief executive Nick Higgins says it will help "thinners" to regain a full head of hair.

Prices will range from £10,000 to £50,000 for a "deluxe" version once health regulators have given it the goahead. Trials in Britain are under way.

Liposuction among men to get rid of "love handles" continues to rise in popularity.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, which represents around a third of all such doctors, carried out 22,041 operations in 2005, up a third from 2004.