“Now people tell me that I look like my high school self. I was just on vacation and somebody thought my daughter and I were sisters, and I was like, ‘Thanks, but she’s my kid.’ Now just looking refreshed when I wake up is a great difference. I don’t look tired or withered. I feel like I wake up with a filter on. It’s pretty amazing.

“The only telltale sign is scarring behind the ears and back hairline for me. Nobody really notices it. My masseuse can see it, I’m sure my hairdresser can see it, but for the most part you’d have to be six inches from my ear to notice — and if you’re that close, you better be somebody I like.”

Raoul T., 57

Procedure: Neck lift

Surgeon: David Shafer, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City.

Cost: approximately $45,000

“As a Latino man, I just wanna represent the best I can. I want to feel good inside. I project what I feel. If I don’t feel good about me, then everything else collapses. I don’t mind investing in me because if I can’t do it for me, no one else will.

“I wish that there were more before and after pictures of men available from plastic surgeons that I could’ve looked at. There are so few references. It’s like there’s a little bit of shaming or taboo there. Fortunately, a member of Dr. Shafer’s staff had a similar procedure done to what I wanted and I saw the results. So, I had the benefit of meeting [someone] that provided a real-life testimonial.

“I’ve had other body procedures done — chest, arms, buttocks — and some were grueling. I wasn’t sure if I could do it again because it’s so draining and painful. The face is more delicate, but the experience wasn’t as intense. I had the procedure done on a Thursday and I went back to the office on Monday. I wore a scarf.

“The healing was fine. I had an unexpected bump, though. Dr. Shafer has been treating it with an injection. Because of the bump, I started sporting somewhat of a beard. On a scale from 1 to 10, [how noticeable the bump is] it’s like a 0.5. By the time my next appointment comes, I wonder if I’ll even need another injection.” [Editor’s note: A swollen bump like this “after surgery isn’t typical, but it’s also not alarming,” says Dr. Shafer, “A couple of shots of Kenalog, a steroid, helps take down the inflammation.”]

Maria C., 53

Procedures: Five lifts — deep-plane facelift, endoscopic brow lift, lip lift, and upper and lower blepharoplasties — along with fat transfer to the cheeks, temples, and hands, plus buccal fat removal (which takes fat out of the lower cheeks), and CO2 laser