What is cosmetic plastic surgery?
Cosmetic plastic surgery is performed in order to change one's appearance. For some, it may mean redesigning the body's contour and shape, the elimination of wrinkles, or eliminating balding areas. Others may choose varicose vein treatment or breast augmentation. There are a number of cosmetic surgery procedures that men and women can choose from in order to create an image that makes them feel more confident and comfortable with their appearance. In 2003, more than 15 million people had cosmetic surgery.
Although health insurance rarely covers the cost of cosmetic procedures, the number of individuals deciding to undergo cosmetic plastic surgery continues to grow. The top five cosmetic surgeries for 2000 included liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, nose reshaping and facelift. More than 1.8 women had one or more of these surgeries in 2003.
Further, it is not just women who are opting to enhance their appearance through surgery. Statistics show that the number of men having liposuction - the removal of fatty tissue - has increased 500 percent since 1992. In addition, the number of men having facelifts have more than quadrupled.
What are the most common plastic surgery procedures?
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the most common cosmetic procedures (invasive and minimally-invasive) are listed here by their common or descriptive names. The medical term for the procedure is enclosed in parentheses.
- breast augmentation or enlargement (augmentation mammaplasty)
- breast implant removals
- breast lift
- breast reduction (mastopexy or reduction mammaplasty)
- buttock lift
- chin, cheek, or jaw reshaping (facial implants or soft tissue augmentation)
- dermabrasion
- eyelid lift (blepharoplasty)
- ear pinning (otoplasty)
- facelift (rhytidectomy)
- forehead lift
- hair replacement/transplantation
- lip augnmentation
- liposuction (lipoplasty)
- lower body lift
- nose reshaping (rhinoplasty)
- spider and varicose vein treatment (sclerotherapy)
- thigh lift
- tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)
- upper arm lift
- botox injections
- cellulite treatment
- chemical peel
- plumping / collagen or fat injections
- plumping/collagen or fat injections (facial rejuvenation)
- laser skin resurfacing
- laser treatment of leg veins