A new way to fight aging has emerged in Silicon Valley: plastic surgery. Male IT professionals, top executives, and investors don’t want to be written off because of wrinkles and gray hair, and are willing to spend tens—and sometimes hundreds—of thousands of dollars on facelifts, neck lifts, and eyelid surgery. About an unexpected phenomenon that is gaining momentum in Silicon Valley, writes The Wall Street Journal.
The text was translated and adapted by the Doberman.Media team
Dr. Timothy Marten of San Francisco puts it bluntly: Society used to demand that women stay young; now that pressure has spread to everyone. Especially in IT: if you look old, you're almost immediately labeled as "outdated."
"Our society has traditionally expected women to be young, but now everyone feels this pressure—especially in the IT sector, where you’re quickly labeled ‘outdated’ if you look old.", — as quoted by The Wall Street Journal Dr. Timothy Marten, a plastic surgeon from San Francisco.
Demand is growing at a frantic pace. As Dr. Ben Taley of Beverly Hills, whose comprehensive face and neck lift services cost between $125,000 and $150,000, told reporters, "Over the past five years, the number of male clients from the technology sector has increased fivefold“. His colleague in San Francisco, Andrew Barnett, adds: Requests for facelifts have increased by 25% compared to pre-COVID levels, and for eyelid surgery — by 50%. He sees the greatest growth among men in the venture capital and private equity sectors.
Why is there a boom right now?
The pandemic, Zoom meetings, hybrid work, the pressure to stay young, and the popularity of drugs like Ozempic—all of these factors combined have created a snowball effect. Cynthia Goodman, a plastic surgeon, explains: After COVID, people started scrutinizing their faces closely. And working from home is convenient: the recovery process goes unnoticed.
Psychoanalyst Stephen Sabin notes that men in the IT industry fear aging and becoming obsolete. They start with Botox—which has become almost mandatory in Silicon Valley. Next come mini-facelifts and blepharoplasty.
A mini-facelift involves fewer incisions, a shorter recovery period, and a lift of the lower part of the face. The key is a natural look, without the “tight, mask-like” appearance. According to Goodman, these procedures cost $15,000 or more.
Blepharoplasty is even more popular. It removes bags under the eyes and sagging skin, making you look 10 years younger. Upper eyelid surgery costs about $5,000–$7,000, while lower eyelid surgery costs $8,000–$10,000.
New technologies are helping: less bruising, less swelling, and a shorter recovery time. Refining the jawline and reducing the size of the salivary glands are also options.
And, of course, the example set by wives: when husbands see that their wife has had the procedure and looks great, they decide to go for it too. Rapid weight loss also pushes people toward surgery: the skin sags, and they want to fix it.
Dr. Marten sums it up: In the past, a man’s success was more important than his appearance; women were expected to be both talented and attractive. Now men feel that success alone isn’t enough—their appearance must also measure up.
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