Procedures such as nose jobs, liposuction and eyelid reductions are becoming more popular with men, said Queensland University of Technology psychology researcher Carolyn Rogers.

But overall, the results are unlikely to be as good as those for women, who provide their surgeon with details of their medical history and listen to advice.

"Men don't tell them all the information they need to know, such as what medication they are on, and they tend not to follow post-operative instructions," Ms Rogers said.

Ms Rogers, who is studying for her PhD, has been researching links between body image, depression and cosmetic surgery to find out how to identify patients likely to be unhappy with the results of their operations.

She said evidence from plastic surgeons showed men were often keen to have a sneak peek before they should and this could cause unnecessary scarring and slow the healing process.

Failure to tell their surgeon they had been taking drugs such as aspirin or anabolic steroids could also lead to post-operative bleeding and haematomas, or blood under the skin.

"Women are more health conscious and tend to follow the instructions of their doctors and go for regular check-ups, while men are not as concerned.

Ms Rogers said her previous research had confirmed that most women who underwent cosmetic surgery were psychologically healthy with a high overall self esteem but a low opinion about a specific part of their bodies.

She said it was important for men to have cosmetic surgery for the right reasons, not because they viewed it as a magic bullet for their career or relationships.

This is cache, read story here