What is cosmetic plastic surgery?

Cosmetic plastic surgery is done to change your appearance. For some, it may mean redesigning the body's contour and shape, smoothing 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 to create an image that makes them feel more confident and comfortable with their appearance.

Although health insurance rarely covers the cost of cosmetic procedures, the number of people deciding to have cosmetic plastic surgery continues to grow. The top cosmetic surgeries are breast augmentation, liposuction, nose reshaping, eyelid surgery, tummy tuck, and facelift.

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 in parentheses:

• Breast augmentation or enlargement (augmentation mammoplasty)

• Breast implant removals

• Breast lift  (mastopexy) with or without the placement of an implant

• Buttock lift

• Chin, cheek, or jaw reshaping (facial implants or soft tissue augmentation)

• Dermabrasion

• Eyelid lift (blepharoplasty)

• Facelift (rhytidectomy)

• Forehead lift

• Hair replacement or transplantation

• Lip augmentation

• Liposuction (lipoplasty)

• Lower body lift

• Nose reshaping (rhinoplasty)

• Thigh lift

• Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)

• Upper arm lift (brachioplasty)

• Botox injections

• Cellulite treatment

• Chemical peel

• Plumping, or collagen or fat injections (facial rejuvenation)

• Laser skin resurfacing

• Laser treatment of leg veins

• Vaginal rejuvenation