Health Zone: Liposuction: Liposuction.. not just for the ladies; When PR boss Max Clifford found a large growth on his shoulder, he was told there was only one way to get rid of it.. liposuction1.(Features)

Byline: MEL HUNTER

STRETCHED out on a bed and hooked up to a giant syringe, public relations guru Max Clifford proves liposuction is no longer the preserve of well-heeled women.

These days, the fat removal procedure is the most common form of plastic surgery and is fast becoming accessible to everyone.

With a price tag similar to an exotic holiday, more Britons are opting for the op - and increasing numbers are men. Plastic surgeon Alex Karidis, one of the first British doctors to pioneer power-assisted liposuction, treats 175 patients with the new method every year.

Forty per cent are male and come from all walks of life, ranging from actors to taxi drivers.

Health Zone joined top spin doctor Max as he underwent his op. The public relations man, who made Pamella Bordes and Antonia de Sancha household names, booked in to have two lipomas - fist-sized pouches of fat cells - removed from his back and shoulder.

Max, 58, decided to take action after five years of living with the lipomas.

According to surgeon Mr Karidis, lipomas are a common problem. Some people have up to 10 of the benign fatty lumps on their body and, in most cases, they cause few problems. But when the lumps appeared Max was alarmed, fearing they could be cancerous tumours. "I had them checked straight away," he says. "You can't take a chance with things like that. I can't stress that enough."

Max, married to wife Liz for 34 years, was soon given the all-clear and decided to have the lumps removed only when they started to become visible through his clothes.

Although they were not painful or harmful, the half-grapefruit- sized swellings were starting to …

Health Zone: Liposuction: Liposuction.. not just for the ladies; When PR boss Max Clifford found a large growth on his shoulder, he was told there was only one way to get rid of it.. liposuction1.(Features)

Byline: MEL HUNTER

STRETCHED out on a bed and hooked up to a giant syringe, public relations guru Max Clifford proves liposuction is no longer the preserve of well-heeled women.

These days, the fat removal procedure is the most common form of plastic surgery and is fast becoming accessible to everyone.

With a price tag similar to an exotic holiday, more Britons are opting for the op - and increasing numbers are men. Plastic surgeon Alex Karidis, one of the first British doctors to pioneer power-assisted liposuction, treats 175 patients with the new method every year.

Forty per cent are male and come from all walks of life, ranging from actors to taxi drivers.

Health Zone joined top spin doctor Max as he underwent his op. The public relations man, who made Pamella Bordes and Antonia de Sancha household names, booked in to have two lipomas - fist-sized pouches of fat cells - removed from his back and shoulder.

Max, 58, decided to take action after five years of living with the lipomas.

According to surgeon Mr Karidis, lipomas are a common problem. Some people have up to 10 of the benign fatty lumps on their body and, in most cases, they cause few problems. But when the lumps appeared Max was alarmed, fearing they could be cancerous tumours. "I had them checked straight away," he says. "You can't take a chance with things like that. I can't stress that enough."

Max, married to wife Liz for 34 years, was soon given the all-clear and decided to have the lumps removed only when they started to become visible through his clothes.

Although they were not painful or harmful, the half-grapefruit- sized swellings were starting to …