Ross Catanzarite was a scrawny kid with a big appetite — one that caught up with him after high school.
Suddenly, in his early 20s, weight clung to his 5-foot-8-inch frame. He tried everything, from calorie counting and no-carb eating plans to intermittent fasting, but nothing was sustainable.
He would lose 40 to 50 pounds only to regain it. This happened four times before he made a life-altering decision in 2019 — he had Dr. Anthony Berlet perform liposuction on his torso, namely his chest, abdomen and flanks (love handles) to the tune of $15,000.
“He balanced everything out,” Catanzarite, 53, of North Caldwell, NJ, told The Post. “I was happy with the results.”
He’s not alone. Liposuction was the top plastic surgery procedure in 2024 — especially among men, with over 21,000 performed in the US. That figure represents a slight bump from 2023.
Gone is the notion that cosmetic procedures are exclusively for women, as men increasingly shell out $3,500 to $10,000 per problem area for liposuction that addresses their stubborn fat and boosts their self-confidence.
“Men no longer view aesthetic treatments as vanity but as optimization, similar to fitness, grooming or skincare,” Berlet, who has offices in Manhattan and Cedar Grove, NJ, told The Post.
“Social media, high-definition video and constant on-camera exposure have raised awareness of facial structure and aging in men,” he added. “At the same time, today’s techniques are more subtle and tailored to male anatomy, which has reduced concerns about looking unnatural or feminized.”
From fine tweaks to bro glow-ups
Berlet said that men in their late 20s to 30s often gravitate to jawline definition, chin projection and facial balance.
Men in their 40s to 60s tend to focus on maintaining strength and structure as skin loses its firmness, elasticity and volume.
And no matter the age, rapid weight loss from GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound or other measures has helped fuel increased demand for “finishing” procedures that define contours.
Robert Tice, for one, opted to get a tummy tuck in 2023 and a chest lift in 2024 after shedding over 100 pounds from bariatric surgery.
Tice, 39, had been heavy since childhood, hovering between 330 and 375 pounds for most of his life.
In the two procedures, Dr. Sean McNally performed lipo on his love handles and under his armpit, removed excess skin from his chest, torso and stomach, sewed his abs back together because obesity caused his abdominal muscles to separate and changed the placement of his nipples.
The results are startling — his pecs are better defined, and sagging skin no longer pools by his waist.
Now, his weight has stabilized between 205 and 215 pounds.
“I think [this] will be the first year I’ll be able to go outside without a T-shirt on, which I don’t really know the last time I was able to do that and not be ashamed,” Tice, of Portland, Oregon, told The Post.
Slimmer waist, lighter wallet
Tice — a former professional drummer who has worked in classic car restoration — would also like to have excess skin on his back removed, but said it’s cost-prohibitive.
He’s already dropped an estimated $30,000 out-of-pocket, with insurance only covering a small portion of the stomach surgery.
Health insurance doesn’t typically cover elective, aesthetic procedures — like facelifts, liposuction and breast augmentations — since they aren’t deemed “medically necessary.”
And the costs can really add up. While cosmetic procedures like Botox and dermal fillers require constant maintenance, a tuck here can highlight the need for a nip there.
Safety concerns and recovery time are also potential obstacles that may prevent men from going under the knife.
Catanzarite said he didn’t really feel pain from his liposuction, but he did experience discomfort wearing the post-surgical compression vest that “held everything together” as he healed.
Like Catanzarite, Tice also suffered no infections or complications, but coughing, laughing and sneezing were “quite painful” following his ab work.
McNally noted that these surgeries are “significant undertakings,” with some lasting over seven hours.
“Risks can run from smaller things like scar complications or infections up to fat embolus or blood clots in the legs, which can be fatal,” McNally, lead provider at Doctor PDX and Réviance in Portland, told The Post.
“Make sure you’ve really considered the risks before proceeding with a surgery.”
The next frontier
McNally, himself, has undergone a few procedures — and they are a bit more complex than your standard lipo.
He had 360 liposuction with a MicroAire power assist and a VASER ultrasound assist for his back, flanks and stomach.
VASER uses ultrasound energy to liquefy fat, while MicroAire relies on rapid vibrations to remove the fat, minimizing tissue trauma.
It’s called 360 liposuction because it’s supposed to provide a 360-degree transformation.
He’s also had Renuvion, which combines radiofrequency energy with cold helium plasma to tighten the skin in the treated areas. Plus, there were six sessions of the body contouring treatment EmSculpt Neo to strengthen his ab muscles.
“[I] think that Renuvion for skin contraction after liposuction will gain traction with men in 2026, as women have been enjoying its effects for years,” said McNally, who performs Renuvion at his clinic.
While women have historically been more vocal about their enhancements, men are increasingly becoming more open about them as they hop on the bandwagon.
“Once you open the door, you’d be surprised how many people around you had something done. It’s becoming very mainstream,” said Catanzarite, who works in construction and real estate.
While lipo gave him a “jumpstart,” motivating him to go to the gym, Catanzarite finally found the secret to keeping the weight off.
For the last couple of years, he has been taking tirzepatide, the generic name for the GLP-1 weight loss and diabetes drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound. It’s helped him better process sugars and sustain his diet.
“I think that was the missing ingredient,” he shared.
