Health
'Six-pack surgery' gaining popularity among men, say plastic surgeons
Move over, “Dad bod” — more men are seeking “six-pack abs” with the help of a surgical procedure called high-definition liposuction, according to plastic surgeons.
This type of “ab-etching” technique is gaining popularity among men who can’t get rid of stubborn belly fat with exercise alone, according to members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
The method targets removal of stubborn fat much like traditional liposuction, but it also creates defined lines across the stomach muscles to create the illusion of “chiseled” abdominals.
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What is high-definition liposuction?
Dr. Josef Hadeed, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon at the Hadeed Plastic Surgery practice in Beverly Hills, California, and Miami, Florida, described the procedure during an interview with Fox News Digital.
“It is more like creating that six-pack and creating the ‘V lines,’ and giving somebody that more athletic, toned physique that traditional liposuction can’t really achieve,” he said.
More men are seeking “six-pack abs” with the help of a surgical procedure called high-definition liposuction, according to plastic surgeons. (iStock)
Traditional liposuction focuses on removing fat, volume and bulk, but doesn’t address the specifics of the “underlying anatomy,” according to the surgeon.
High-definition liposuction is more detailed, Hadeed said.
“We remove a little more fat from that vertical line above the belly button, and also those horizontal lines above the belly button,” he said.
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“We also remove a little more fat in those areas to create the illusion or appearance of somebody having a six-pack.”
In some cases, fat is redistributed to other areas to help create a bulkier, more muscular abdominal appearance, the surgeon added.
A growing trend
There has been an uptick in men undergoing this liposuction procedure, according to members of the ASPS.
“I’m definitely seeing an increase in high-definition liposuction requests for men,” ASPS member Dr. Joubin Gabbay, MD, the medical director at Gabbay Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, California, told Fox News Digital.
“It is more like creating that six-pack and creating the ‘V lines,’ and giving somebody that more athletic, toned physique that traditional liposuction can’t really achieve,” a plastic surgeon said. (iStock)
“They are coming in with specific requests for a defined, chiseled contour.”
Dr. Finny George, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon and partner at New York Plastic Surgical Group, a division of Long Island Plastic Surgical Group, has also seen more male patients looking to improve their muscle definition.
“It is becoming more socially acceptable for men to have plastic surgery.”
“There is definitely a growing desire among men [for] alternate means of achieving an athletic physique for two main reasons,” George told Fox News Digital.
“First, it is becoming more socially acceptable for men to have plastic surgery — and second, many have already tried and failed with conventional diet and exercise,” she added.
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High-definition liposuction isn’t the only procedure growing in popularity among men.
There has been a 207% rise in total cosmetic procedures among males since 2019, according to the 2022 ASPS report.
One reason may be that men are looking for a more youthful appearance to “maintain career vitality,” the report said.
This type of “ab-etching” technique is gaining popularity among men who can’t get rid of stubborn belly fat with exercise alone, according to members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. (iStock)
Social media influencers and male celebrities have also created an open dialogue about male cosmetic surgery, making it more acceptable for men to seek such enhancement treatments, the ASPS also noted.
“It actually has been very common in Brazil and South America for quite some time now, and it’s slowly been migrating to the United States,” Hadeed told Fox News Digital.
What to know before seeking surgery
If an individual is considering undergoing high-definition liposuction, they should examine their reasons for doing so, said Hadeed.
“They should do it for themselves, not because their spouse or partner is pressuring them to do it,” he advised.
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When a person is seeking those “perfect six-pack abs,” Hadeed said, the surgeon will typically look at the individual’s lifestyle behaviors, such as diet and exercise.
For example, if someone is sedentary and eats fast food every day, “maybe this isn’t for you,” according to the doctor.
It is important to research the credentials of the plastic surgeon who will perform the procedure and make sure they are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, an expert advised. (iStock)
Patients should have realistic expectations of what can be achieved rather than trying to look like a certain fitness model or social media influencer, Hadeed cautioned.
In some situations, he said, “we have to lower the expectations a little bit and say, ‘I can’t make you look like this other person who’s completely ripped and shredded, but I can help you look like a more refined version of yourself.’”
“Having elective surgery is a very major decision, and not something that people should take lightly.”
If the individual were to gain or lose a significant amount of weight after the surgery, that could affect the results, leading to the need for a revision or touch-up, Hadeed said — which is why he screens his patients to identify their lifestyle habits and make sure they can maintain the results.
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Gabbay also emphasized the importance of following a good regimen to maintain the benefits of the surgery.
“I think the treatment is certainly effective at helping many achieve the six-pack look, but it requires work and maintenance to maintain,” he told Fox News Digital.
Experts emphasized the importance of following a good regimen to maintain the benefits of the surgery. (iStock)
“It is important to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle and avoid major weight fluctuations after the procedure,” he went on.
“Unintended weight gain after a high-definition procedure can exaggerate the look of the six-pack, making it look a little less natural.”
Potential risks
Hadeed, who also serves as chair of the Patient Safety Committee for the ASPS, said it is important for patients to understand the risks involved with the procedure.
“Having elective surgery is a very major decision, and not something that people should take lightly,” he said.
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Hadeed agreed that while the surgery is typically safe, there are risks involved.
“In particular, there could be skin necrosis, where some of the skin dies,” he warned. “There could also be fat necrosis, where some of the fatty tissue that’s left behind dies.”
“It is important to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle and avoid major weight fluctuations after the procedure,” a doctor advised. (iStock)
Other potential complications may include blood clots and intestinal perforation.
It is also important to research the credentials of the plastic surgeon who will perform the procedure and make sure they are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Hadeed said.
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The doctor warned, “There are a lot of physicians out there who are not plastic surgeons who are doing these procedures.”
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Older adults classified as “SuperAgers” generate at least twice as many neurons in the hippocampus than their typical aging peers, a new study has revealed.
These findings, released on Wednesday by the University of Illinois Chicago and Northwestern University, could help explain why SuperAgers have exceptional memory and cognitive resilience even well past 80 years old.
Northwestern has been studying SuperAgers for decades, defining them as “extraordinary individuals aged 80 and above whose memory performance rivals that of people three decades younger.” The researchers use special memory recall tests to make this determination.
In this study, they analyzed post-mortem brain tissue — nearly 356,000 individual cell nuclei — with a focus on the hippocampus, which is essential for forming new memories and supporting learning and spatial navigation.
They compared tissue from SuperAgers, typical older adults, older adults with early dementia/Alzheimer’s and younger healthy adults.
SuperAger Ralph Rehbock sits with his wife in his home. New findings from the University of Illinois Chicago and Northwestern University could help explain why SuperAgers have exceptional memory and cognitive resilience well past 80 years old. (Shane Collins, Northwestern University)
The researchers found that SuperAgers produced at least twice as many new neurons compared to “cognitively normal” older adults and those with Alzheimer’s pathology.
They also found that changes in certain brain support cells (astrocytes) and key memory cells (CA1 neurons) are linked to preserved cognitive ability, helping to keep the brain sharp with age.
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The SuperAgers also had different genetic activity patterns in their brains compared to those in Alzheimer’s disease.
“SuperAgers have more immature neurons and neuroblasts in the hippocampus, which is an indication of stronger neurogenesis when compared with other groups,” study co-author Changiz Geula, research professor of cell and developmental biology and neuroscience at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital.
Northwestern University study co-author Ivan Ayala examines a SuperAger brain sample on a slide. (Shane Collins, Northwestern University)
“The study also showed that specific cells in the hippocampus show unique gene expression profiles that relate to neuronal function and transmission and are associated with superior cognitive function.”
The findings were published in the journal Nature.
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“We’ve always said that SuperAgers show that the aging brain can be biologically active, adaptable and flexible, but we didn’t know why,” said co-author Tamar Gefen, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a neuropsychologist at Northwestern’s Mesulam Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, in the release.
“This is biological proof that their brains are more plastic, and a real discovery that shows that neurogenesis of young neurons in the hippocampus may be a contributing factor.”
Dr. Tamar Gefen examines a slide of a SuperAger brain. (Shane Collins, Northwestern University)
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, commented that the study discovered signs of plasticity and regeneration in SuperAgers.
“It confirmed not only preservation of brain tissue in the hippocampus, which is crucial for memory and cognition, but also regeneration and increased development of brain cells in that area,” Siegel, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
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“This is an important study because it may lead to certain cell gene treatments that could lead to more SuperAgers,” the doctor said. “It may also lead to more advanced testing to determine who will be a SuperAger and guide clinical treatment and management.”
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The study did have some limitations, primarily that the research relied on tissue samples taken at one specific point, instead of tracking changes over time.
Brain samples are fixed in blocks of wax so they can be stored and examined. (Shane Collins, Northwestern University)
Geula noted that studies using human brain tissue typically involve fewer cases than animal research, which can be a limitation. However, he emphasized that each case in this study was analyzed thoroughly.
“While these findings are not directly translatable to changes in everyday life and activities, they suggest that cognitive resilience is associated with greater integrity of many brain systems,” he told Fox News Digital. “This implies that attending to brain health is crucial for maintaining cognitive function in old age.”
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“Thus, maintaining good overall health by keeping systemic diseases in check, maintaining a healthy diet and exercise, and ensuring the elderly remain mentally active assume more importance.”
The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.
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Olive oil has long been shown to benefit heart health, but a new Spanish study from Universitat Rovira i Virgili revealed that extra virgin olive oil may also protect brain health.
The study found that people who consumed virgin olive oil — rather than refined olive oil — had improved cognitive function and greater diversity in the gut biome, which the researchers claim is an “important marker of intestinal and metabolic health.”
“This is the first prospective study in humans to specifically analyze the role of olive oil in the interaction between gut microbiota and cognitive function,” lead study author Jiaqi Ni, researcher at the URV’s Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology in Spain, said in a press release.
The study used two years of data from more than 600 people between the ages of 55 and 75 who were overweight or obese and had metabolic syndrome, factors that increase the risk of heart disease.
The study suggests that olive oil protects the brain by acting on the gut microbiota. Virgin olive oil increases the diversity of beneficial bacteria, which serves as a protective shield for cognitive health. (iStock)
The researchers tracked the participants’ consumption of both refined and virgin olive oil, as well as their gut microbiota (the entire collection of living microorganisms in the human gut).
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The findings suggest that the uptick in diverse gut bacteria is the reason that people consuming virgin olive oil have improved brain health, according to the researchers. Those who consumed refined olive oil had less diversity in their gut over time.
“Not all olive oils have benefits for cognitive function.”
The main difference between refined and virgin olive oils is how they are processed, the researchers said.
Refined olive oil undergoes industrial treatments to remove impurities. These treatments degrade the oil, stripping it of the natural antioxidants and vitamins that are beneficial to human health.
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The team also did a follow-up to identify any changes in participants’ cognitive function. Those who consumed extra virgin olive oil showed improved memory, attention and executive function over two years.
Researchers identified that a specific genus of bacteria, Adlercreutzia, is a potential indicator of brain preservation. Higher levels of this bacterium were found in those who used virgin olive oil. (iStock)
Refined olive oil did not show the same cognitive benefits.
“Not all olive oils have benefits for cognitive function,” Ni noted.
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This research reinforces the idea that the quality of fat people consume is as important as the quantity, according to Jordi Salas-Salvadó, principal investigator of the study.
“Extra virgin olive oil not only protects the heart but can also help preserve the brain during aging,” he said in the press release.
The industrial refining process for refined oil strips away the polyphenols and antioxidants that are essential for the “brain-boosting” effect, researchers explain. (iStock)
Because this was an observational study focused on older Mediterranean adults with specific health risks, the findings may not apply to the public, and the study does not prove that olive oil alone caused the cognitive changes.
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The researchers noted that factors like smoking and lower education levels were more common among those using refined oil, which could skew results despite their best efforts to adjust the data.
Additionally, the study relied on self-reported diets, which could have some risk of inaccuracies.
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The study was published in the journal Microbiome.
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