Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic surgery is a very popular avenue for personal enhancement, as demonstrated by the 11.9 million cosmetic procedures performed in the U.S. alone in 2004.

As for any operation, elective procedures involve risk , and should therefore not be undertaken lightly. Within the US, critics of plastic surgery note that it is legal for any doctor, regardless of speciality, to perform plastic surgery.

It is vital to check a physician's credentials, looking for those MDs who are actually board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Because cosmetic surgery is seen as lucrative, many other specialties have tried to make themselves sound more official and qualified by making up associations or "medical boards", even though their training does not encompass all aspects of reconstructive and cosmetic/aesthetic surgery of plastic surgeons. However, there is only one governing board of American physicians (the American Board of Medical Specialties link), and it only recognizes the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Other "boards" such as "facial plastic surgery" or "American Cosmetic Surgery" are not officially recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. In fact, the term "facial plastic surgery" is particularly deceptive, as it implies there is a "general plastic surgery" field, which of course does not exist. Plastic surgeons who are board-certified or board-eligible by the American Board of Plastic Surgery can of course perform, and often excel in surgery of the face. Just because a non-plastic surgeon claims they have "training" in "facial plastic srgery" does not necessarily mean they can better perform reconstructive and aesthetic procedures of the face.

The most prevalent aesthetic / cosmetic procedures are listed below. Most of these types of suregry are more commonly known by their "common names."

These are also listed when pertinent.
• Abdominoplasty (or "tummy tuck"): reshaping and firming of the abdomen
• Blepharoplasty (or "eyelid surgery"): Reshaping of the eyelids or the application of permanent eyeliner, including Asian blepharoplasty
• Augmentation Mammaplasty (or "breast enlargement" or "boob job"): Augmentation of the breasts. This can involve either saline or silicone gel prosthetics.
• Chemical peel: Removal of acne scars and sagging skin—not technically surgery and can be performed by a cosmetologist. • Chemical peels commonly involve Phenol, TCA, or Glycolic acid as the active agent. Phenol peels, while the most effective, require cardiac monitoring and require longer recovery periods, thus diminishing their current popularity.
• Mastopexy (or "breast lift"): Raising of sagging breasts
• Labiaplasty: Surgical reduction and reshaping of the labia
• Rhinoplasty (or "nose job surgerie"): Reshaping of the nose
• Otoplasty (or ear surgery): Reshaping of the ear
• Rhytidectomy (or "face lift"): Removal of wrinkles and signs of aging from the face
• Suction-Assisted Lipectomy (or liposuction): Removal of fat from the body
• Chin augmentation: Augmentation of the chin with an implant (e.g. silicone) or by sliding genioplasty of the jawbone.
• Cheek augmentation
• Collagen, fat, and other tissue filler injections
• Mesotherapy : An alternative to liposuction where fluids are injected to break down and dissolve the fat. This area is still under investigation for both efficacy and safety. There have been many edpisodes of dangerous and deceptive practices involved with mesotherapy as practiced. Currently the American Society of Plastic Surgery does not endorse this procedure outside of controlled trials with IRB oversite.

Addiction to cosmetic surgery

Some people appear to become addicted to cosmetic surgery, possibly because of body dysmorphic disorder. Sufficient amounts of repeated cosmetic surgery can lead to irreversible damage to the normal body structure. However, due to the high cost of repeated cosmetic surgrey, this disorder is generally one limited to the wealthy.

cosmtic, osmetic, csometic, cosmteic, cosmetci

Cosmetic (or aesthetic) surgery is most often performed in order to change features the patient finds unflattering. In many cases, however, there are medical reasons.

• Clearwater FL Plastic Surgeons
• California plastic surgeons
• Los Angeles plastic surgeon

More:
• Surgery
• Podiatric Surgery
• Physician
• Plastic surgery
• Cosmetic surgery

• Medicare
• Medicare Part D

Also see:
• What is APR

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cosmetic Surgery".