MEN are turning to tummy tucks and breast reduction surgery in record numbers to combat the ravages of heavy eating and drinking.

Last year there was a 61% increase in the number who had surgery to create a flatter stomach while 27% more men had fat removed from their breasts, according to an audit by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).

Liposuction, the removal of stubborn fat from the breasts and “love handles”, is now the second most common procedure performed on men after surgery to reshape the nose.

The number of tummy tucks carried out on men rose from 61 in 2006 to 98 last year. Most of these operations were carried out to remove loose skin caused by dramatic weight loss.

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Under the knife

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BAAPS surgeons also treated 224 men with so-called “moobs” (man boobs) as the total number of liposuction procedures in men rose from 494 in 2006 to 582 last year.

Doctors blame the rise in obesity and heavy drinking for the apparent increase in men developing larger breasts, a condition known as gynaecomastia.

Nigel Mercer, the president-elect of BAAPS and a consultant plastic surgeon, said: “We have been seeing more men with gynaecomastia in recent years. “There are a variety of reasons for male breasts getting bigger, these include a rise in obesity, a rise in drinking and potentially, more female hormones in the environment.”

Doctors says men have become less inhibited about turning to plastic surgery. Dalia Nield, consultant plastic surgeon at the London Clinic, a private centre, said: “In the past men probably put up with having strange shaped bodies, or developing breasts.

“Now men know there is a solution. They regard operations as a way of giving them a better quality of life. It is rare for men to come to me because they want to look like one of the Chippendales.”

Overall, male plastic surgery increased by 18% last year, with a rise to 2,881 operations in 2007. However, 91% of all plastic surgery is still performed on women.

The total number of cosmetic procedures carried out by BAAPS surgeons, on men and women, rose by 12% to 32,453. Breast implants were the most popular procedure for women with a total of 6,487, and the biggest increase was for facelifts among men and women, up by 36% to 4,468.

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