Latest Expert Witness News

NHS costs rise as 'moob' jobs soar

Scottish health service reduces the breasts of over 350 men in two years

Boob jobs are no longer the preserve of Wags and female models. More than 350 men have undergone breast reduction operations in Scottish NHS hospitals to improve their appearance.

Plastic surgery clinics have seen a significant rise in the number of men seeking removal of man-breasts, or “moobs”.

Similar to breast reductions for women, male patients need only show that they would suffer emotionally for the NHS to pick up the bill. The health service said it does not have figures for how many of the 357 breast reductions carried out on men since 2005 were paid for by the taxpayer.

Among those who had the procedure in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area were 21 boys under the age of 16. Taimur Shoaib, a plastic surgeon from Glasgow, said he currently performs one male breast reduction procedure per fortnight.

Ken Stewart, a surgeon at the private Murrayfield Hospital in Edinburgh, said Scotland’s obesity problem is fuelling demand for this kind of surgery.

“We are about to be hit by a big wave. Scotland is one of the fattest nations in Europe now, and as people are starting to realise this, they are changing their lifestyle,” he said. “Sadly, this often does not happen until people hit middle age. When you lose a lot of weight in your 30s and 40s, you are left with excess skin. When you are young, the skin has a better ability to shrink back.”

However, critics said scarce NHS resources should not be expended on lifestyle procedures.

back