5. Adominoplasty (Tummy tuck)
A tummy tuck can help your appearance in several ways. If your abdominal skin sags, you have stretch marks, or if there is excess fat in your abdomen, you might be a good candidate for this procedure. And if you avoid gaining or losing excessive amounts of weight, the results should last for years. Plastic surgeons performed approximately 128,000 tummy tucks in 2009.
4. Rhinoplasty (Nose reshaping)
Perhaps surprisingly, the history of rhinoplasty dates back almost 2,500 years to ancient India. For some, a so-called “nose job” can help eliminate the genetic traits of a flat nose, flared nostrils, or a nose that appears out of proportion to your face. The procedure is also frequently used to correct noses damaged by sports injuries and other mishaps. Around 138,000 Americans underwent this procedure in 2009, although non-surgical rhinoplasty, which involves the use of filler to reshape the nose, may be a better option for some people.
3. Blepharoplasty (Eyelid surgery)
No matter how healthy and fit you are, as you age, gravity and heredity take a toll on your body. One of the most noticeable areas affected by this is your eyelids. Drooping or puffy eyelids not only make you appear older, but can sometimes obscure your vision. Plastic surgeons performed around 150,000 eyelid surgeries in 2009.
2. Liposuction
This is one of the more misunderstood plastic surgeries. For example, many trim and fit people unfairly judge those who undergo liposuction, assuming that diet and exercise can help anyone avoid the need for such surgery. Yet there are people who are genetically predisposed to have concentrations of fat in areas (the arms or thighs, for instance) that diet and exercise alone can’t resolve. Liposuction has also gotten a bad rap in the media as the result of scattered reports of unlicensed practitioners performing the procedure in homes and other unsafe environments. Performed by a physician at an accredited clinic, complications from this procedure are rare. Some 284,000 surgical liposuctions were performed in 2009.
1. Breast Augmentation
In a society and era when large breasts are promoted in pop culture as the feminine ideal, many women who don’t measure up are left feeling self-conscious. But even women who were amply endowed at birth will notice undesirable changes as they age, or following childbirth. Physicians did 312,000 breast augmentation procedures in 2009. While overall the number of plastic surgeries declined during the Great Recession, the number of breast augmentations had increased more than 25 percent from 2003 through 2008.
In case you’re wondering, here are the five most common non-surgical cosmetic procedures in the United States in 2009:
1. Botox injection, 2.55 million procedures
2. Hyaluronic acid, 1.31 million
3. Laser hair removal, 1.28 million
4. Microderm abrasion, 622,000
5. Chemical peel, 529,000
