CLEVELAND, Ohio — As if brides and grooms don’t have enough on their to-do lists before their weddings, some are now adding plastic surgery.
The procedures can range from Botox injections to rhinoplasty (a “nose job”). Most have said it’s important to them to look their best for bridal photos.
Dr. Diana Ponsky, a plastic surgeon in Beachwood, didn’t have any actual numbers, but she’s seen a surge in grooms getting facial enhancement before walking down the aisle.
“I guess I would say before, five years ago, it was mainly middle-aged ladies and about 5% of men who would come in for cosmetic surgery,” she said. “Now I’m seeing much more of a younger population. I see the groom, the bride, and the wedding party setting up various procedures before the big day.
“I think it’s about focusing on self-care more than anything. Younger people are thinking of it as maintaining yourself. I have a 27-year-old who comes in for chemical peels and skin care products to keep their skin in the best health possible. It’s very much like getting a haircut or doing a teeth whitening. They’re coming in for Botox, and the women like getting fillers for the lip area. For men, it’s Botox and fillers for their chin to get more of a chiseled jawline.
“They all say they don’t want to look back at their wedding pictures in disgust. I currently see 75 to 80% females and approximately 20 to 25% men for various facial enhancements per year, and male patients are growing.”
According to Ponsky, Botox is the most significant request for couples before their wedding day. It’s mainly because they are younger and need less work. Most couples, especially women, want to stay ahead of aging.
So, what happens in a Botox treatment? Technically, Botox is an injectable muscle paralytic that helps to straighten out frown lines. An example would be those lines that can develop between your brows (often called thinking lines). The injection relaxes the muscles, which smooths the lines out.
It can take three to five injections, depending on how your muscles move in that area between your brows, Ponsky said.
Katie Saada, 29, is preparing for her big day in the fall of 2024. She’s been seeing Ponsky for what she calls “preventative treatments.”
“When you’re older, and you’re going in to get Botox to fill in the wrinkles, it’s to prevent the wrinkles from ever forming in the first place,” she said. “I think that’s super cool.”
She also mentioned intense pulse light techniques. “It’s a light laser procedure,” Saada said. “I think you do three rounds of it. It uses light energy to treat sun damage and evens out your whole skin tone.”
Bride grooms are slowly moving past the stigma attached to cosmetic surgery. According to an article in a publication of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Beverly Hills, Calif., surgeon Robert Cohen has noticed the stigma is changing and predicts seeing more men down the road.
“Men coming to the practice lately do seem more comfortable with their interest in having surgery than men in the past,” he said in the article.
The article points out that in 2020, more than 1.1 million men opted for cosmetic enhancement.
That doesn’t surprise Eric Rivchun of Beachwood, who wears his journey with plastic surgery like a badge of honor. Though a date hasn’t been set, he plans to marry the woman he took to their high school prom 57 years ago.
“We went to dinner two years ago in May, and we’ve been together ever since,” he said. “We went to Brush High School’s prom in 1965. I always like to look my best. Over the years, some pre-cancerous cells were discovered because of the amount of time I spent in the sun as a youth.
“Lately, Dr. Ponsky has done some shavings. I’m also getting Botox treatments, and before the wedding, I’d like to get a full-face lift.
“I don’t concern myself with stigmas. I’ll talk to anyone about getting cosmetic surgery. It’s no different from the other surgeries I’ve had.”
The prices for surgery vary by region. Ponsky offered this rundown regarding her practice:
- An upper eyelid surgery that removes extra skin above the upper eyelids costs $3,000.
- A facelift runs about $12,000, mainly because it requires anesthesia.
- Rhinoplasty can set you back between $10,000 to $12,000.
- Liposuction comes in around $4,000.
- Hair restoration or transplants range from $8,000 to $12,000.
- Botox can cost $300 up to $1,200.