Middle-Eastern Men Increasingly Getting Implants for...Status-Bearing Mustaches

In the U.S., you may have been seeing more men growing (or attempting to grow) facial hair a) because hunting season has started or b) because this past month has been "Movember," a month where many grow a 'stache to raise money for men's health charities.

For those in the Middle East though, growing a luxurious mustache holds more important cultural implications. So much so that men who have patchy facial hair are increasingly turning toward implants, according to a report by CNN.

zzat Ibrahim al-Douri, former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's second-in-command, has a status symbol mustache. (Photo: AP/Jassim Mohammed)

CNN reported that Turkey is seeing an influx of medical tourists from the Middle East who want cosmetic surgery for thicker facial hair. It reported plastic surgeon Salhattin Tulunay saying he conducts between 50 and 60 mustache implant surgeries each month:

"For some men who look young and junior, they think (a mustache) is a must to look senior ... more professional and wise," he said. "They think it is prestigious."

French plastic surgeon Pierre Bouhanna is reported as seeing a similar trend from patients as well.

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had an iconic mustache, but he eventually wore his facial hair as a beard. (Photo: AP)

The surgery that takes hair follicles from areas of dense hair growth and transplants them onto the patient's face costs around $7,000. Similar to bringing in a magazine clipping of a desired hairdo, the doctors told CNN some patients have celebrity mustaches they would like to emulate. Choosing a mustache style can have political connotations as well. CNN noted those with drooping sides are more conservative, a Stalin-like 'stache is more liberal, and those meticulously groomed are generally worn on the "political religious."

Joseph Stalin's iconic mustache might be coveted by some. (Image: Wikimedia)

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, too has facial hair in the form of a mustache that some might try to replicate. (Image: AP/Umit Bektas, Pool)

Full results can be seen within six months of having the surgery.

CNN reported associate professor of anthropology at City University of New York Christa Salamandra saying that historically mustaches were such a status symbol that they were used to ensure men would keep promises. Shaving a mustache was -- and could still be -- seen as a way to dishonor a man:

In 2008, militants in Gaza abducted a Fatah opponent and shaved off his mustache to dishonor him, while in 2003, in the lead up to the Second Gulf War, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri -- a senior aide to Hussein and, like the rest of the former Iraqi leader's inner circle, himself mustachioed -- created headlines when he yelled "Curse be upon your mustache!" at a Kuwaiti counterpart at an emergency summit of Islamic states.

Still don't fully grasp the cultural draw some might have for a mustache? Check out this TV promo for the Bravo show "Shahs of Sunset" with the lyrics "put your mustache on" (Note: Some images and language might not be considered appropriate for all audiences):

In case you're wondering, "Shahs of Sunset" is a reality TV show that follows a group of Iranian Americans living in Beverly Hills, Calif.

(H/T: Huffington Post)