Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic Surgery is a subspecialty of plastic surgery that is concerned with improving the aesthetic appearance of a person. Unlike reconstructive plastic surgery, cosmetic surgery uniquely restricts itself to the enhancement of appearance through surgical and medical techniques. Cosmetic surgery is defined as an elective, non-essential surgery that the patient chooses to have. On the other hand, plastic or reconstructive surgery is concerned with improving function and to reconstruct or improve a patient’s facial and body defects due to birth disorders, trauma, burns, or disease. Most medical insurance will pay for reconstructive plastic surgery, but not cosmetic surgery.
Cosmetic surgery is specifically concerned with maintaining, restoring, or enhancing the patient’s normal appearance towards some aesthetic ideal. There are surgical cosmetic procedures and non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Non-surgical cosmetic procedures include: microdermabrasion, laser skin resurfacing, Botox injections, Hyaluronic Acid (Hylaform, Juvederm, Restylane), laser hair removal, and sclerotherapy injections for small varicose veins and spider veins. Surgical cosmetic procedures include: tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), nose job (rhinoplasty), ear surgery (otoplasty), facelift (rhytidectomy), brow lift, chin augmentation, cheek augmentation, cheek lift, ammoplasty: breast augmentation, breast reduction, mastopexy (breast lift), and male breast reduction (gynecomastia), lower-body lift: buttock augmentation, and buttock lift, labiaplasty, liposuction (suction-assisted lipectomy), fat injections, and collagen injections.