More men getting plastic surgery

HOUSTON For Dennis Seitzer, 60, the decision was easy.

"You're doing the mental, the emotional, the physical and the spiritual. You're doing it for yourself. What's the difference in making some minor changes in your physical appearance?" Seitzer said.

It was the same for 57-year-old Chris Burns.

"I got a little tired of people asking if my 11-year-old was my granddaughter," Burns said.

Both are among the growing number of men getting plastic surgery.

"As more and more wives are getting things done, then they start looking really good and the men realize, 'Well, gosh, I want to look good, too,'" facial plastic surgeon Dr. Kevin Smith said. "

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons says in 2010, the number of male cosmetic procedures rose from the year before. Liposuction is up 7 percent, ear reshaping, 11 percent. One of the biggest jumps is facelifts -- up 14 percent over the previous year.

Seitzer, who's retired, dropped $14,000 to get one, despite early objections from his dad.

"He said, 'You can't do this son. I like who you are. I look like what you look like,'" Seitzer said.

For Burns, who works as a financial advisor with the Houston Police Officers' Union, getting a $4,000 eyelift means a different kind of pressure.

"Oh, I'll take a lot of grief from these guys, believe you me. I'm gonna take a lot of grief from them," he said.

Houston plastic surgeon, Dr. Kevin Smith, believes the poor economy is actually helping to fuel this boom in business.

"They're going on interviews; they may have lost a job. So you want to do all you can to present your best self. And I think part of looking good is part of making that first impression," Dr. Smith said.

It's called self esteem. It's called pride. It's called confidence," Seitzer said."There's a lot of things that enter into it. It's not just looking good. It's feeling different."

His wife of three years has noticed it, too.

"I think he looks wonderful," Marid Seitzer said. "Men out there who want to look better for the women, just go out there and get done!"

"The stigma is gone. Now there's some manly men out there that say, 'Ah, I'd never do that.' But, you know, you can soften them up, too. Give me a little time with them. I can work on them, as well," Dr. Smith said.

As for Seitzer's, his toughest critic is his 92-year-old dad.

"He says, you know, 'I am so proud. You look just the same you always looked, just a little better,'" he said.

If you are considering a cosmetic procedure, experts say do your homework. Talk to several doctors who are board certified in plastic surgery -- and talk to their patients, too.