Here's info from a surgeon's website about the procedure:
"I like working out, but I just couldn't get my calves to look proportional to the rest of my body. Even specific exercises targeting that area didn't work. Calf implants gave me the look I had worked so hard to achieve."Who is a Candidate?
Calf implants can be very useful for people who have either severe asymmetry from trauma, or who have difficulty achieving balance with that portion of their body in respect to some of their other muscle development. The goal of calf implants is to create a balance in symmetry to the rest of the body.
Prior to surgery it is necessary for the patient to vigorously exercise the calf muscles on a regular basis. By exercising, the fascia (fibrous membrane) covering the calf muscle is stretched. Approximately 2 weeks prior to surgery all exercise should be stopped, causing the calf muscle to shrink. The fascia remains stretched, allowing easier insertion and more secure placement of the implant.
The implants used are made of fully-cured silicone with a similar consistency to that of a contracted muscle. An individual consultation will determine the size and shape of the implants used.
The surgery is performed in a hospital or surgical setting under general anesthesia with the patient in a prone (facedown) position. Small incisions are made just behind the knees where the fascia overlying the muscle is carefully opened. Space is developed to accommodate the implant which is gently squeezed into place. The fascia and skin are then repaired and elastic wraps are placed over the legs. It is recommended that initial use of the legs is moderate—no excess walking for at least the first week. Other popular procedures that can be combined with calf enhancement include liposuction and thigh lift.
Recovery Time
Swelling and bruising gradually resolve, and a return to work is possible after 1 week, although there is continued tenderness in the calf area for a few weeks. Return to the gym is possible after 3 to 4 weeks.
Your Results
Calf enhancement allows for dramatic muscle development that ultimately brings the legs into balance with the rest of the body.
And from another site: (grammar and spelling mistakes are theirs)
According to Men’s Health, http://menshealth.about.com/cs/surgery/a/cosmetic.htm, The male grooming market is booming as is the fact that many more men are turning towards cosmetic plastic surgeons to make them feel and look younger. Botox Injections, Nose Reconstruction, Pectoral and AB Enhancement, Liposuction, Calf Enhancements, etc. are just some of the procedures today’s male is willing to undergo in order to look fit and stay trim at the top of their game. The days of a rough and tumble man are over. Today’s Male Species is very concerned over their looks, especially in the workplace. You have to look younger, work harder, and multi task with out showing a hint of pressure.
When I read this stuff and read about the recovery, I wonder why anyone would do this to themselves? Why would they feel the need? It's horrifying to me.
Some people have worked out endlessly for larger, more defined and proportionate calf muscles with little to no results. Many people are dissatisfied with the look of their calves so much that they avoid wearing clothing that reveals their lower legs. (Notice they're giving us the fear and dissatisfaction here.) Calf implants are a relatively new and increasingly innovative procedure designed to increase and define the contours of the lower leg muscles. Desirable proportions, attractive balance, and increased mass and definition of the lower leg can all be achieved through calf implants.
Since the calves are particularly difficult muscles to exercise, many people have become increasingly frustrated with the muscle mass and muscle tone in their lower legs. Calf implants will give you the athletic legs you've always wanted that will not contract with age. The results last a lifetime. Interestingly though, men and women often seek calf implants for differing results. Men typically seek increased mass and definition through calf implants while women typically prefer anatomical balance with the upper leg.
Safe silicone implants in a variety of shapes and sizes inserted into the muscle bring about the natural-looking, well-balanced results of calf implants. To achieve more balance and enhancement, fat augmentation is sometimes used in the calf implant procedure as well. Calf implants are done allowing most patients to return home on the same day.
Most of the initial recovery following calf implants should be spent with your legs elevated. Some short-distance assisted walking is also encouraged to start slowly using your lower leg muscles. During the first week after calf implant surgery, your muscles will begin to adjust to the presence of the implants, and the skin will begin stretching as the incisions heal and the dressings can be removed. In the following weeks, walking may feel a little stiff but should slowly become less uncomfortable and more normal.
This process is highly variable from person to person, but in any case, running, heavy weight-lifting, bicycling and other highly strenuous activities are prohibited for at least one month. As swelling, slight bruising, and discomfort begin to recede, the shiny appearance of the stretched skin will also begin to return to normal following calf implants. Every patient's calf implants recovery process is different, but it usually takes one to two months before you can return to all normal activities. That's pretty intense - 1-2 months before you can do normal stuff? I don't know many people who can afford that.
Besides calf implants, there are other physical issues men have to worry about:
Are gay men bears or bare? Furry or shaved. There is incredible pressure on gay men to be fit and fashionable, kind of like it is for women.
Then of course, men have pretty much always had to worry about their sex appeal if they become bald. That's why Rogain has been such a popular product.
I think we need to be careful that we don't let the pressure that women have been feeling for years to look good start to come down on men. It won't serve anyone well.
I've noticed that in the sidebar in Hotmail, there are men with six pack abs advertising products. (There's a plastic surgery procedure to help with that, too, of course. And to enhance ones pecs.) Along, of course, with the women with the overly sexualized looks in their eyes trying to sell me a refinancing package for my house. Who wouldn't click on that, right?! It does get my attention. Every time. Damn it.
I notice that boys are starting to talk about their bodies and how they need to lose weight, need to be built, need to have a certain physique. The other day I read someplace that men's cosmetics are the newest thing. I dated a man once who showed me his beauty regime - his sister had shown him how to apply just a little bit of blush so he would look younger and healthier. I felt so embarrassed to have him share that with me. It was more than I wanted to know. A man putting on make up was beyond my conception of a man. But now it seems as if it's becoming a thing.
I will grieve for men just as I grieve for women if they begin to feel pressure to look a certain way to conform to societal expectations. None of us needs that pressure. There is too much to do with our lives to waste our time worrying about whether our calves are big enough (or, for women, if they're small enough!). I'd so much rather spend my time time walking gently on the earth, seeing that of God in every person (to quote George Fox).
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