Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between PLASTIC SURGERY, COSMETIC SURGERY and RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY?

The terms Plastic Surgery and Cosmetic Surgery are used interchangeably. Cosmetic surgery is performed on normal healthy structures of the body in order to change or improve the patient's appearance and elevate their self-esteem. Reconstructive surgery is different than Cosmetic Surgery because it is performed on abnormal structures to improve function or repair appearance impaired by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors or disease.

What is Board Certification?

The intent of the certification of physicians is to provide assurance to the public that a physician specialist has successfully completed an approved educational program and evaluation process which includes an examination designed to assess the knowledge, skills, and experience required to provide quality patient care in that specialty.

Who is having cosmetic surgery?

87% of all procedures performed in 2003 were performed on females while 13% were performed on males.

How old is the average patient that has cosmetic surgery?

Age is an important consideration when examining the distribution of surgical procedures. During 2003, fewer than 2.7% were performed on patients under 18 years of age. Patients between 19 and 34 had 23.8% of the procedures. The main age group receiving cosmetic procedures are between 35 and 50; having had 45.4% of all cosmetic procedures. This leaves the over 50 crowd with only 28.1%.

What is the most popular procedure?

Liposuction was the number one procedure chosen by both men and women in 2003.

What are the most common Nonsurgical cosmetic procedures?

Roughly 76% of all cosmetic procedures fall into the nonsurgical category of procedures. The top ten nonsurgical cosmetic procedures performed in 2003 were:

1. Botox: 2,272,080
2. Laser Hair Removal: 923,200
3. Soft Tissue Fillers: 858,921
4. Microdermabrasion: 858,312
5. Chemical Peel: 722,248
6. Sclerotherapy: 444,416
7. Laser Leg Vein Treatments: 170,358
8. Laser Skin Resurfacing: 127,470
9. Cellulite Treatments: 27,919
10. Dermabrasion: 27,584

What are the most common surgical cosmetic procedures?

The top ten surgical cosmetic procedures performed in 2003 were:

1. Liposuction: 384,626
2. Breast Augmentation: 280,401
3. Eyelid Surgery: 267,627
4. Nose Surgery: 172,420
5. Breast Reduction: 147,143
6. Facelift: 125,581
7. Tummy Tuck: 117,693
8. Breast Lift: 76,943
9. Brow Lift: 76,696
10. Chin Augmentation: 27,999

SOURCE: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

According to the ASAPS 2004 annual statistics, men had 10 percent of all cosmetic procedures. The number of procedures (surgical and nonsurgical) performed on men was nearly 1.2 million, an increase of 8 percent from the previous year.

Top cosmetic procedure for men included the following:

Surgical	#procedures	NonSurgical	#procedures
Liposuction	61,638	Botox Injection	311,916
Eyelid Surgery	41,050	Laser Hair Removal	196,847
Rhinoplasty	38,989	Chemical Peel	133,124
Male Breast Reduction	19,636	Microdermabrasion	99,221
Hair Transplantation	19,503	Laser Skin Resurfacing	69,427