Perfect bloke combo of bit of rough and botox

Once considered the domain of self-obsessed Californian housewives and Hollywood celebrities, appearance medicine is on the rise among Kiwi and Aussie blokes.

That's according to Dr Steven Liew, one of Australia's leading plastic surgeons who is in Auckland for the New Zealand College of Appearance Medicine's annual conference this weekend.

Indeed, he says our blokes - the rugged inheritors of the Anzac tradition - are using botox injections more than men anywhere else in the world.

"The cosmetic industry for men is booming," says Liew, who says about 15 per cent of patients at his Sydney clinic are male, with that number increasing all the time.

"In society it's becoming more acceptable, but there hasn't been good background information about what constitutes an aesthetically attractive male."

The Herald on Sunday reported in August that babyboomer men - especially those in their late 50s and early 60s - are buying beauty products like never before.

Men aged from 55 to 65 spend an average $30 a month on skin products, a survey showed, compared with women of the same age who spend only $27.74.

Liew says men are essentially the same as women - they want to look more attractive.

But he thinks men have missed out because cosmetic appearance has traditionally been so female-focused.

"A lot of men have been getting the one-size-fits all treatment, which is almost making them female. But the worst thing to do to a man is feminise him, no matter his sexual orientation."

Liew has developed "beauty templates" for men and women that are now used by cosmetic surgeons around the world.

"We want to be a little bit more conservative for men," says Liew. "If men come in with wrinkles, we want to soften the lines but not remove them."

Blokes should have square faces and an "overtly masculine, sharp curve in the middle part of the face".

The lower part of the face should be sharply angled - the traditional square jaw.

Basically, men should be a little bit rough around the edges - think George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman or even New Zealand's own Martin Henderson, says Liew.

But how do you change a man's face shape without drastic surgery? Fillers and botox, traditionally used just for wrinkles, are the answer, says the surgeon.

Using the examples of well-known Kiwi blokes, Liew demonstrates how versatile botox and fillers can be. He could use fillers to angle Mike Hosking's face and make his chin more square, soften John Key's smile lines and make Michael Laws' chin more prominent.