Vanity Insanity

The spa experience has primarily been a woman's domain until now. Today's men are challenging common traditions, proving that personal care and grooming are not for women only.

As an interior designer, Diane Marks knows the importance of looking good. In her line of work, it's all about appearances and being able to sell a certain look.

Over the years, we've seen jewelry work its way all over the body, from rings and necklaces to earrings and body piercings. What about jewelry for the teeth?

Toted as the next step in tattoo art, scarification involves carving a design into the skin.

Rozanne Thornton hates her hands. She thinks the big, blue bulging veins that have appeared over time show her age in a most unflattering way.

Beauty comes in various forms, even though all models tend to fit the same mold. Ellen Stohl, however, was not your average model.

When Steve Hawthorn was a four-year-old, he recalls identifying as a little girl, even though his body said otherwise.

At the age of six, Bettina Olcay's daughter suffered a stroke. For Bettina, the stress took a toll on her health, virtually aging her face by 10 years.

As a chunky kid with a broken nose from football, William is very self-conscious of how he looks.

How young is too young to start getting pampered? Emily Grommer got her first pedicure when she was ten years old.

Multimedia artist Matuschka finds beauty in her mastectomy when she decides to get an amazing tattoo design on her chest rather than a breast replacement.

For most of us, the term bearded lady conjures up images of large ladies in freak show circuses. For Jennifer Miller, it's a way of life.

Steve Erhardt, dubbed the living Ken Doll by U.S. media, has had nearly 40 cosmetic surgeries.

The self-styled Cocktail Dollie is a Las Vegas cocktail waitress who she says she knows exactly what girls need to do to succeed at her job.

Doris Barilleaux has been bodybuilding competitively since she was a young woman; now 76, she photographs other bodybuilders for magazines.

When she heard about liposuction on a TV advertisement, housewife Mona Alley knew it was for her and those last several pounds around her stomach that she just couldn't shake.

Mary Nissenson decided to get a facelift which triggered a rare side effect – Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy – leaving her in excruciating pain 24/7.

At an anti-aging convention in Vegas, everyone claims to have found the latest fountain of youth.

South Miami is a hotbed for illicit procedures; many unsuspecting patients opt for fillers on the black market where they're cheaper.

The TUBA technique involves inserting breast implants by way of the belly button.

At the age of 12, Brooke Bates weighed 225 pounds, suffered daily humiliation at school, and believed she was going to die in a few years if she didn't lose the weight.

New York Times reporter shares her own colourful tale of the lengths she once went to in the pursuit of perfection as a cosmetic surgery addict.

The pressure on girls aspiring to ballerina status to be tall, thin, lithe, and beautiful starts at a young age – and never gets easier.

The Lap-Band is a less-invasive, adjustable, and reversible alternative to the gastric bypass procedure.

Kevin Lorage is a self-proclaimed metrosexual man who enjoys his trips to the spa and designer clothing stores.