For men, chins are where the power lies

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Never mind the sincere blue tie, men. Forgo the hair transplants. The chin is the new power player in today's world.
More men are trotting off to plastic surgeons to have chins augmented to look strong or trimmed down with liposuction to look younger, The Wall Street Journal reports. It has become one of the fastest-growing procedures for men. It was up 70 percent in 2003 over 2002, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons told the WSJ. Almost six times more chin augmentations are done now than in 1992. Almost 60 percent of the chin work is done on men.
Some men go in for a faux cleft to have a Robert Mitchum-like dimple. And some are getting injections of Restylane and other fillers to smooth out the chin.
One reason for the increase is that the procedures have been refined. Changes are subtle. Implants have been developed that make the chins look more natural. Scars are less visible.
But as with any surgical procedure, there's a risk. Author Olivia Goldsmith died after being administered anesthesia for a chin tuck. Infections, nerve damage and asymmetry are always dangers. Still, 9,583 surgeries were performed on chins last year at a cost of about $2,000 to $3,000 each.
If people advise you to keep your chin up, maybe they're trying to tell you something.