Plastic and cosmetic surgeon Jeremy Hunt says there has been a steady increase in men seeking surgery over the past 10 years.

"These days about 10 per cent of procedures are performed on men," says Hunt, who operates in the Illawarra and is an Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons spokesman.

The top three procedures performed on men are rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery and liposuction.

Non-surgical procedures such as Botox and injectable fillers are also in high demand.

"The drive is coming from the baby boomer generation, as they are now nearing retirement and embracing a fuller life and they're getting outdoors more," Hunt says.

"The second drive is the increasing availability of information in the media which makes people aware of the procedures that are available.

"It's no longer the realm of just the rich and famous."

Rhinoplasty falls into two areas - post-traumatic and cosmetic.

Many men are looking to fix their broken noses from their football days, for example.

"I think there's a trend towards people exploring options and seeing those options at a younger age," Hunt says.

Liposuction is also a common procedure, with men wanting to get rid of their "love handles".

Hunt stresses that liposuction doesn't not improve overall weight, but is aimed to reduce the number of fat cells in a specific area.

"Liposuction targets areas which disproportionately carry more weight," he says.

Work on eyelids is usually to reduce their heaviness and the appearance of tiredness.

All procedures begin with an initial consultation, at which the patient sits down with the surgeon to establish the patient's objectives.

A second consultation takes place right before the surgery.

"It needs to be a well thought-out decision," Hunt says.

"There [are] only about 80 plastic surgeons in NSW. People need to be cautious that the person is an actual plastic surgeon and not just a cosmetic surgeon."

The procedure is usually done in an accredited hospital under anaesthetic, with a recovery period of two to six weeks with follow-up consultations. Hunt says the final results are not usually seen until six to 12 months afterwards.

He says every surgery carries some risk of complications and only between 5-10 per cent of patients require revision surgery.

Despite the advancements in surgery over time, Hunt says it's important for people to take advantage of their best features.

"It's about maximising someone's beauty to take advantage of their desirable features and modify the features they don't like."

Hunt says men will often want Brad Pitt's jawline while women are wanting Angelina Jolie's lips.

"You never want to make someone look like someone else," he says.

"What looks appropriate on some people doesn't on everyone."