Rise of the Trophy Husband

• Rise in women willing to invest in a man who looks good

• Clinics claims more women are footing the bill for partners’ treatments

• If they are not paying for it, they are urging their partner to have it

• 30% of male patients at one clinic were encouraged by partner

• Hair transplants and body sculpting techniques top list of treatments

The phrase ‘trophy wife’ has long been used as a way of describing an attractive woman who is married to a successful man.

But as more women climb the career ladder, it seems that the tables may be beginning to turn as they look for a partner who can not only impress them with their success – but with their looks too.

Using data collected from a high-end dating agency and a cosmetic surgery clinic, researchers found a growing number of women are searching for a partner who not only comes with the promise of professional and financial success, but one who will also look the part when accompanying them to functions and social occasions.

According to one London cosmetic surgery practice, more and more women are footing the bill for their men to undergo a range of cosmetic and anti-ageing procedures.

The Private Clinic on Harley Street claims a greater number of women than ever before are paying for their partners to have procedures, particularly hair transplants and body sculpting techniques, in an effort to keep their men looking beautiful.

The clinic’s hair transplant expert Dr Raghu Reddy says he has noticed a growing number of men coming to him in search of a solution to keep their partners happy.

‘The majority of the male patients I treat for hair loss explain that it is actually the opinions of their partner that they are most concerned with.

‘And while most tell me that their wives or girlfriends are happy to support their decision, some go a step further and tell me that it is their partners who are actually paying for their procedure to rectify a receding hair line or balding patch.’

Dr Reddy added: ‘For a long time, cosmetic surgery was associated with women who opted to undergo specific procedures to keep themselves looking healthy and younger in the eyes of men.

‘But attitudes are changing and now it is just as important for men to look their best. They realise that having the latest treatments will not only help them to look and feel more confident, but it is also likely to make them far more attractive to the opposite sex.’

Even if women are not footing the bill, it seems they are heavily influencing their partners when it comes to surgery.

Over the past few years figures across the UK have shown that more and more men are undergoing procedures to sculpt, scrape and keep them looking just as good as their partners would like them to.

Men, in fact, now account for 50 per cent of all liposuction patients at The Private Clinic, while three times as many men opted to have their upper torsos shaped in the first half of 2013, as was the case in 2011.

Dr. Yannis Alexandrides, founder, director and head of practice and surgical at 111 Harley St in London, added: ‘In my practice, I have seen a rise in men coming to see me for aesthetic consultations.

‘Aesthetic surgery and innovation in skincare has become advanced in the past years and it is more common than ever for women to have cosmetic treatments.

‘As a result they expect their husbands to stay up to standard – and urge him to do so.’