Types of Cosmetic Surgery

Although cosmetic surgery is a focus within plastic surgery, cosmetic procedures focus on treatments for purely cosmetic conditions, not medically necessary surgeries. For example, a person with extensive burns throughout their body would likely require plastic surgery as a medical necessity.

On the other hand, a patient seeking liposuction may reap health benefits from the surgery due to the removal of fat, but are not in need of the for any serious medical reason.

Before seeking any cosmetic surgery, it's important to evaluate your reasons for doing so. As cosmetic surgeries are rarely covered by health insurance and can cost thousands of dollars, be sure to discuss any procedures and their potential risks with your family doctor.

Procedures like liposuction and abdominoplasty are not "easy cures" for shedding excess weight. There are strict dietary requirements that you still must follow before and after the procedure.

Most Common Cosmetic Surgeries

• Abdominoplasty: This procedure is intended to remove excess skin and fat from the abdominal section to make the area more firm. People that have lost a great deal of weight quickly or postnatal women often seek this procedure. The two major types of abdominoplasty are partial and complete. During partial, a small incision is made and limited skin and fat is removed. A complete procedure can take up to five hours and involves the removal of a great deal of skin and fat.

• Blepharoplasty: Blepharoplasty is a cosmetic surgery on the upper or lower eyelids. Surgery on the lower eyelids is almost always cosmetic -- removing fatty deposits that result in "bags." Upper eyelid surgery can be a necessary procedure, however, if skin of the eyelid protrudes over the eye and inhibits peripheral vision.

• Browplasty: Otherwise known as a "forehead lift," this procedure is used to elevate the forehead to remove "worry lines" or elevate an eyebrow that does not require blepharoplasty. Browplasty is a common procedure that is less invasive than a full facelift. Many patients remark that the forehead is a major focal point of the face and thus is vital to maintaining a youthful appearance.

• Buttock augmentation: Buttock augmentation is normally a cosmetic procedure intended to improve the appearance of a posterior, either through a gluteal implant, liposculpture, or both. A buttock augmentation is also included in sexual reassignment surgeries to enhance the anatomical features of the buttocks, as female hips and buttocks project more both on the sides and to the rear than male hips.

• Buccal fat extraction: This procedure is the reduction of prominent cheeks, and is often performed on a patient using only general anesthesia or consciously sedated. A surgeon makes an incision in the patient's mouth to remove the buccal fat pad in the cheek. This pad is then trimmed to the desired size and returned to its anatomical position.

• Buttock lift: A buttock lift, like an augmentation, is a surgical procedure intended to tighten skin in the posterior, and remove unsightly fat from the area. A buttock lift does not call for a gluteal implant and is similar in procedure to a facelift.

• Cheek augmentation: Cheek augmentation usually involves one of three methods -- a cheekbone implant, injections of the patient's own fat or a soft filler, or strategic incisions to the zygomatic bone. Cheek augmentation is often performed in combination with other procedures like the chin augmentation or a face lift.

• Chemical peel: A chemical peel is a minor treatment used to repair bumpy or wrinkled skin, usually on the face. Chemicals in the mixture applied to your face cause dead skin to become detached from the face, and eventually peel off. The new skin cells that surface are often smoother and less wrinkled than the old ones. A wide variety of chemical peels exist depending on the issue being corrected. The deeper the peel, the more risks there are with the peel. The strongest, a phenol peel, is used to smooth deep wrinkles and remove skin blotches.



• Chin augmentation: A chin augmentation is often performed to provide overall balance to the features of a face while often, but not always, in combination with other surgical procedures like a cheek augmentation or rhinoplasty. This surgical cosmetic procedure utilizes an implant or jaw manipulation. This procedure is very popular because it allows for drastic changes in face appearance without extensive or expensive surgery.

• Labiaplasty: Labiaplasty is a surgical cosmetic procedure used to correct disproportions in the labia majora and labia minora, two tissues bound to the vulva. This procedure is typically performed to rejuvenate vaginal aesthetic appearance and function following a pregnancy, accident, or due to age or individual genital characteristics.

• Lip enhancement: Otherwise known as lip augmentation, lip enhancement is a non-surgical treatment that adds fullness to lips. This fullness can be achieved by adding fat harvested from another area of the patient's body, or with a filler material like Restylane.

• Liposuction: Liposuction is the removal of fat from any area of the body, chiefly the abdomen, buttocks, neck, back of arms, and thighs. While liposuction can remove up to 50 lbs. in one session, it is dangerous to remove that much weight in a single procedure. The more fat removed, the greater the risk for a lumpy or dented appearance of the body following surgery.

• Mammoplasty: A mammoplasty is a cosmetic procedure used to reshape the breasts. While breast reductions are performed, far more common are breast augmentations, which increase the size of breasts using implants. This procedure can also be used to change the appearance of breasts, even without the use of implants.

• Orthognathic Surgery: This surgery is used to correct malformations in the jaw and face. Orthognathic surgery can be used to correct chronic problems such as sleep apnea and TMJ disorders. The surgery can also be used to improve the aesthetic appearance of the face through a variety of bone and tissue manipulations. Looking for the best free standing punching bags? Great! Check out our list of the top free standing heavy bags for all experience levels. A Fighters guide to the best free standing heavy bags available to buy in United States. Check out what are the best free standing punching bags now and learn what you should pay attention to when you buy a stand up boxing bag.

• Otoplasty: An otoplasty is a surgical procedure used to correct deformities of the external ear, such as pinning ears back or reshaping earlobes. Surgeons can reconstruct the entire external ear if necessary, but the specific procedures used in the otoplasty depend on the deformity being corrected.

• Phalloplasty: This procedure is the reconstruction, or possibly entirely new construction, of a penis. It can also refer to modification of the penis, or surgical penis enlargement. Such a procedure is often performed following a serious accident, or as part of a sexual reassignment surgery.

• Rhinoplasty: Otherwise called a "nose job," rhinoplasty is a procedure used to shape and enhance the nose. This procedure can be used to fix a variety of problems, both functional and cosmetic. For example, those that have broken their noses can have the characteristic bump removed. Some patients undergo a rhinoplasty to resolve respiratory impediments.

• Rhytidectomy: Also called a face lift, the rhytidectomy is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of excess skin around the face, and the reshaping of the remaining skin to provide a more youthful appearance to the patient. In 2008, face lifts were the sixth most common cosmetic surgeries in the United States, following liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, tummy tucks, breast reductions, and rhinoplasties.

As is evident, there are countless types of cosmetic surgery procedures that are available today. In fact, if there is a body part that can be altered or modified -- there is probably a surgical cosmetic procedure to do so. However, as with all types of surgeries, it is important to perform the necessary research to fully understand the cost, risks, and expected benefits.

In addition, it is also important to inquire as to whether subsequent surgeries are necessary and if the are any long-term effects related to the surgery. In all, it is important to evaluate the "pros" and the "cons" of the cosmetic surgical procedure and weight them against any negative effects that may exist.