Plastic Surgery :: Cosmetic Surgery

Outside beauty and staying forever young are the newest trends among today's society. Women are the highest percentage of this trend because women have been conditioned at young age to believe outer beauty is unsurpassed. Plastic or cosmetic surgery in the past has been kept hushed, never knowing did she have her nose worked on? Today plastic surgery is being embraced by the millions and highly looked upon. Recently a friend of mine had a breast augmentation. Her argument was the need to feel more confident in her own body. She felt out of proportion to the rest of her body. Young and old women today feel the need to look like Barbie, which undoubtedly comes from the need to replicate their favorite celebrities. Other causes for plastic or cosmetic surgery come from low self-esteem issues, sexual satisfaction and the need to be accepted as beautiful. For Instance, in 2000 more than 6.3 million women went under the knife by surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, says the American Society of Plastic Surgeons statistics. The five most popular invasive surgical procedures for women in 2000 were liposuction, eyelid surgery, nose reshaping, breast augmentation and facelift (ASPS statistics). There were nearly 11.9 million surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures performed in 2004, according to the most comprehensive survey to date of U.S. physicians and surgeons by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS Statistics). In addition the top five surgical cosmetic procedures in 2004 were, liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, and facelift. The top five non-surgical cosmetic procedures in 2004 were, Botox injection, laser hair removal, chemical peel, microdermabrasion, and hyaluronic acid. Overall, since 1997, there has been a 465 percent increase in the total number of cosmetic procedures. Surgical procedures increased by 118 percent, and non-surgical procedures increased by 764 percent (ASAPS Statistics). Firstly in most recent research from Dental and Health Articles, women who have had cosmetic surgery have found greater satisfaction in their sexual lifestyles. Women reported that their partners were more sexually satisfied, dressed to enhance their new figures, and were compelled to try more and different sexual activities post-surgery. Especially, the greatest benefits were seen in women who had breast augmentation, breast lift and or body contouring procedures. The study was published in the January-February 2006 issue of Aesthetic Surgery Journal (Dental and Health Articles). "The benefits of cosmetic plastic surgery appear to go beyond enabling patients to feel better about their physical appearance," commented Mark Jewell, MD, President of ASAPS, which publishes Aesthetic Surgery Journal (Dental and Health Articles).