title: An Assessment of Gender Differences in Plastic Surgery Patient Education and Information in the United States: Are We Neglecting Our Male Patients?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The number of total cosmetic procedures performed yearly has increased by more than 274% between 1997 and 2014, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. However, the vast majority of plastic surgery procedures are still targeted toward women, with little attention toward men.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to quantify the extent of gender discrepancies observed in online plastic surgery marketing in this country.
  
  
  METHODS
  For the 48 contiguous United States, a systematic Google (Mountain View, CA) search was performed for "[state] plastic surgeon." The first 10 solo or group practice websites in each state were analyzed for the gender of the first 10 images featured, presence of a male services section, and which procedures were offered to men. The results were statistically analyzed using SPSS Software (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 453 websites were analyzed, as 5 states did not have 10 unique solo or group practice websites. Of the 4239 images reviewed, 94.1% were of females, 5.0% were of males, and 0.9% were of a male and female together. A male services page was present in 22% of websites. The most common procedures marketed toward men were gynecomastia reduction (58%), liposuction (17%), blepharoplasty (13%), and facelift (10%). Less than 10% of all websites offered other procedures to males, with a total of 15 other aesthetic procedures identified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many plastic surgeons choose to ignore or minimize male patients in their online marketing efforts. However, as the number of men seeking cosmetic procedures continues to grow, plastic surgeons will benefit from incorporating male patients into their practice model.
authors.affiliation: Dr Sinno is a Resident, Ms Lam is a Medical Student, and Mr Brownstone is a Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Plastic Surgery, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY. Dr Steinbrech is a plastic surgeon in private practice in New York, NY.
authors.forename: Sammy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sinno
authors.affiliation: Dr Sinno is a Resident, Ms Lam is a Medical Student, and Mr Brownstone is a Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Plastic Surgery, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY. Dr Steinbrech is a plastic surgeon in private practice in New York, NY.
authors.forename: Gretl
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Dr Sinno is a Resident, Ms Lam is a Medical Student, and Mr Brownstone is a Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Plastic Surgery, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY. Dr Steinbrech is a plastic surgeon in private practice in New York, NY.
authors.forename: Nicholas D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Brownstone
authors.affiliation: Dr Sinno is a Resident, Ms Lam is a Medical Student, and Mr Brownstone is a Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Plastic Surgery, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY. Dr Steinbrech is a plastic surgeon in private practice in New York, NY.
authors.forename: Douglas S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Steinbrech
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D058015:Health Communication / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013518:Surgery, Plastic; D014481:United States