Growing numbers of middle-aged men embarking on second marriages are trying to turn the clock back with plastic surgery, experts claim.
Surgeons at a Harley Street clinic say more and more "alpha males", particularly those who are marrying younger women, are going under the knife, with Botox and male breast reduction top of the list.
They have called the trend "The Sarkozy Effect", after the French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who last year married Carla Bruni, a former supermodel 13 years his junior.
The Harley Medical Group says 50 per cent more men aged between 35 and 55 had Botox injections to reduce wrinkles so far this year, compared with the same period in 2007.
Demand for male breast reduction surgery has increased by 47 per cent, and 43 per cent more men have undergone microdermabrasion - when the outer surface of the skin is sloughed off.
Chin lifts, blepharoplasty - the removal of eye bags - and face lifts are also more popular than ever among what surgeons call FAMs - forty or fifty-year-old alpha males.
Surgeons say that despite their wealth and high-powered jobs, male patients increasingly want to ward off the effects of old-age to please their younger partners.
Although there no suggestion that Mr Sarkozy has gone under the knife, famous alpha males who have had surgery include the actor Michael Douglas, who is 25 years older than his second wife Catherine Zeta Jones.
Simon Cowell, 48, whose long-term girlfriend Terri Seymour is just 33, has admitted to having Botox, while in 2003, Britain's then most senior soldier, General Sir Mike Jackson, 63, had surgeons remove the bags from under his eyes.
Liz Dale, director of the clinic said: "Second marriages and career opportunities are the most commonly cited reasons for FAMs undergoing rejuvenation treatments.
"Men in their forties often start with Rejuvenation Packages, and then start looking for a more dramatic surgical solution when they hit their fifties, opting for eye bag removal and even full face lifts to turn back the clock."
The figures released yesterday show that 20 per cent of all Botox patients at the clinic are now men, with an average age of 34 - 45.
Dr Julian Northover, a surgeon said: "Our patients are looking to gain an edge in their looks and take off a few years. The desire to have Botox treatments is driven by both business and social reasons.
"Quite regularly we treat patients who have a much younger partner. The results from a short treatment with Botox and possibly fillers can be dramatic and make them much more confident in their relationship."
Most popular areas for treatment are smile lines or crows feet and the deep wrinkles across the forehead, he added.
Surgeons are also seeing an increase in men in their 50s undertaking facelifts, often as a preventative measure so they stay looking younger for longer.
Cosmetic Surgery Boom: The full figures
Botox up 57 per cent
Male Breast Reduction 47 per cent
Chin lifts up 44 per cent
Microdermabrasion 43 per cent
Blepharoplasty (eye bag removal) up 25 per cent
Face lifts up 17 per cent
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