Press dossier · International recognition
On August 31, 2024, The Washington Post published an interactive special on the growing number of men in Rio de Janeiro turning to plastic surgery to sculpt their abs. To show the surgery from the inside, the newspaper's team followed a procedure by Dr. Alexandre Charão at Hospital Glória D'Or, from the pre-operative consultation to the operating room.
What the report is about
Correspondent Terrence McCoy, the newspaper's Rio bureau chief, and photojournalist Marina Calderon interviewed eight men who had undergone, or were about to undergo, high-definition liposuction to define their abdominal muscles. The report treats the subject as a cultural phenomenon: the beach as a showcase, the influence of social media and the fading taboo around men who care about their appearance.
The story cites figures reported by the newspaper. According to the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery, men made up about 5% of plastic surgery patients six years before the report, and their share rose to nearly one-third. Over a similar period, surveys showed a 46% increase in liposuctions performed on men in Brazil.
The article also discusses the social side: the cost of surgery is beyond the reach of most Brazilians, and a defined abdomen becomes one more marker of the country's inequality. Another point that caught the American reporter's attention is that, in Brazil, patients talk openly and proudly about the surgeries they have had, and none of the interviewees asked for anonymity.
Dr. Alexandre Charão's role
The final part of the report follows a 38-year-old patient who had first spoken with Dr. Charão about contouring his abdomen eight years earlier, but postponed the decision out of fear of surgery. In a room at Hospital Glória D'Or, with his mother at his side, he hears the surgeon explain the chosen technique: ultrasound-assisted liposuction combined with Argoplasma (argon plasma), a technology used to stimulate skin retraction.
When examining the patient, Dr. Charão makes a diagnosis that changes the conversation. The main problem was not fat, but skin laxity:
“Your problem is the flaccidity. You’re not fat.” Dr. Alexandre Charão to the patient · quoted by The Washington Post
The report also shows how the degree of definition was chosen. The patient wanted a pronounced result, and the surgeon recommended an intermediate level suited to his body type:
“With your form, high definition would look really fake.” Dr. Alexandre Charão to the patient · quoted by The Washington Post
Before sedation, the surgeon explains what to expect after surgery: swelling, drainage and about six months until the final result. The newspaper documents the abdominal markings drawn with multicolored pens, the surgery performed by Dr. Charão alongside surgeon Rafaela Sahb and nurse Marília Lima, and the use of fat removed from the abdomen as a graft in the buttocks.
What the case shows for anyone considering HD lipo
The episode recorded by the newspaper sums up three points that guide the indication for HD lipo with ultrasound and skin retraction: diagnosis comes before technique (skin laxity and fat call for different approaches); the degree of definition must match each patient's body so it does not look artificial; and recovery has stages and a realistic timeline until the final result.
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Read the original source See Dr. Charão's background