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Been working out for years and all you have to show for it is really big biceps? You're in luck. Why not buy a pair of sexy calves or chiseled pecs? While most people associate cosmetic surgery with a desire to look younger or sexier, there's a cadre of consumers who are opting for procedures designed specifically to make them look fitter.
But it's not couch potatoes who are coughing up the bucks for surgery. It's "very fit patients who have developed their muscular build to a plateau and still are unhappy with the balance of their pecs, calves or other areas," says plastic surgeon Alan Rosen, M.D., spokesperson for the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons and assistant clinical professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey. "Depending on genetics, there's a limit to how much exercise can help improve definition in the chest and leg area."
One patient who ran up against the genetic wall is Santo Grillo, a Venice, California, web designer. "I work out in a health club four hours a week," Grillo says. "The one area that I've never seen results in is my lower legs." That elusive payoff—bulging, rock-hard calves—led him to get calf implants, which a doctor inserted between the muscle and the fascia through an incision just below the back of the knee.
The implants (the same ones used to enhance male pectorals) are made of silastic; it's a firmer silicone rubber than the kind used for breast implants. "I play soccer, I swim, I'm in shorts a lot. When people look at me, I want them to think, 'This guy's fit,' because I am fit," he says.
While calf and pectoral enhancements are the most popular implants among the bodybuilder-wannabe set, the number of annual surgeries shrivels in comparison to the trendiest form of cosmetic surgery used to achieve that "fit" look: liposuction. Between 1992 and 1998, the number of liposuction surgeries more than tripled (from 50,000 to 175,000).
But why stop at sucking out the fat from your butt, midsection or thighs? Body-sculpting enthusiasts can now choose abdominal etching, a procedure in which the cosmetic surgeon tries to remove fat to give the appearance of "six pack" abs, says Rosen.
Intrigued? The cost for such procedures varies depending on where you live, but the general range for liposuction is $1,500 to $2,300 per area. Pec and calf implants weigh in at around $4,500 per set. And that's only for parts and labor; hospital fees and anesthesia can run an additional $1,000 to $2,000. If you live on one of the coasts, expect to pay in the higher range.
Of course you might want to make a less bank-breaking investment first: a padlock for your snack drawer.
- Ted Rand
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