Fashion fot the New MillenniumHey, guys...listen up. In years past it may have been the clothes that made the man, but as Y2K charges ever closer, more and more men are finding that their physical appearances are important career assets or liabilities. And while some guys are spending more and more time grunting and sweating at the gym, and counting their calories like anorexic, wannabe-Calvin Klein models, others are taking the easy way out: They''re heading to the chop shop for eye lifts, breast reductions and tummy tucks.

Nationwide, it''s estimated that about 30 percent of plastic surgery procedures are done on members of the XY chromosome club. Here in Monterey County, we lag somewhat behind the curve, with local plastic surgeons estimating that the stats for men are in the 15-20 percent range. Most popular among the men who go to plastic surgeons are eyelid surgery, liposuction, botox injections (injections to soften those nasty forehead frown lines) and hair transplants.

While all this snipping and tucking may result in a more beauteous male community at large, guys aren''t generally copping to the chopping for that reason. No, indeed. It''s a manly drive for success that''s propelling them to seek a more youthful appearance.

"For males, when you''re in a community that''s very business-oriented, you have to keep a youthful appearance," says Dr. Frederick R. Miranda, a plastic surgeon with offices in Monterey, Salinas and King City. "Studies have shown that people who are more youthful and attractive are more successful."

Monterey plastic surgeon Dr. Marie Pletsch agrees. "It''s not 100 percent, but it''s generally generated from a desire to remain up front in the job market, because there''s so much competition from younger males."

If that sounds like self-serving promotion, listen to Antonette Rappa, who works with the Pat Coniglio Personnel Agency in Monterey. Although employers are prohibited from discriminating against employees on the basis of age, she sees a definite pattern in hiring.

"If a man''s over 55, he''s very hard to place," says Rappa. "If he''s good looking and 60, they''re not going to hire him. They like them younger."

In addition to the perception that younger employees are more adaptable and more in tune with current trends, Rappa says there are more concrete economic reasons that employers are attracted to youthful appearances.

"First of all [employers] don''t want to worry about the benefits. In a lot of places, they don''t even want you around after you''re 40." Rappa points out that older employees are likely to have more health-related problems and more dependents--which add up to a demand for higher salaries and more benefits.

Rappa also says that it''s difficult to place people who are obese, which may be one reason that liposuction is a hot item in male cosmetic surgery.

Miranda estimates that he''s done more than 5,000 liposuction surgeries during his career, primarily sucking fat cells from stomachs, thighs and buttocks. Although the fat reduction in whatever area was treated is permanent, he points out that if a patient returns to his pizza-and-beer diet, the fat will return--just in some other portion of the anatomy.

According to Miranda, there may be some additional benefits to achieving that trim, youthful look.

"The clothes don''t make the man," says Miranda, "but they may make a change in self-esteem."

Of course, not everyone is as impressed with the miracle of plastic surgery.

"Ever seen a man with an eye lift?" asks Rappa. "He looks a lot better before he''s had the surgery. Men with facelifts look a lot like Robert Stack and who would want to look like that?"

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