Plastic Surgery versus Cosmetic Surgery
Plastic surgery is a term often used interchangeably with cosmetic surgery. For the most part that is acceptable but in some cases it is important to know the difference. Plastic surgery is a specific type of surgery that can involve not only a person’s appearance but also their ability to function normally. Plastic surgery is dedicated to the reconstruction of body and facial defects that may have been caused by a variety of things. These could include:
- Disease
- Trauma
- Birth Disorders
- Burns
Though these surgeries should improve a person’s appearance the primary goal is reconstructive and or for the purposes of restoring function.
Cosmetic Surgery
Cosmetic Surgery has also been called aesthetic plastic surgery. This specialty is targeted at improving a person’s appearance. This website is more focused on this type of surgery. Cosmetic surgery is a very popular. In 2006 the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported almost 11 million cosmetic plastic surgeries were performed in the United States. Cosmetic procedures cover a wide range of sub segments from liposuction to botox. The popularity of cosmetic surgery has also been rising for men having procedures like liposuction and breast reductions just to name a few. Though men undergo many of the same procedures as women there are differences because the structure of a man’s body is technically different so men should be sure to ask questions specific to their gender when considering the procedures.
Is Beauty a Driver For Choosing Cosmetic Surgery or Plastic Surgery?
Unfortunately outer beauty is a big reason for cosmetic procedures. We live in a society that values how good we look. It can determine the mate you can get. It even can be a factor in the job that you get. Inner beauty should be everyone’s goal and the choice to undergo cosmetic procedures is a truly personal one. External beauty is something that can effect inner beauty in the sense that you may feel more comfortable with yourself causing you to be more confident. Confidence has been known to be at least half the battle in succeeding in almost anything today. In true cases of plastic surgery though beauty may not be the primary motivator but it helps bring back the confidence and the well being that may have been lost.
In conclusion we can see that plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery coexist and at time intermingle. Whether you need plastic surgery after an accident or cosmetic surgery to fix that problem that has nagged you for years the first stop in your journey is your doctor. They can then direct you to the type of surgeon you need since there are so many sub specialties that surgeons focus on. You want to get the one that is right for you.
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Liposuction for Weight Loss Is Usually Not the Answer
If you are obese or significantly overweight liposuction for weight loss may seem like an answer to your prayers. Having tried almost every diet from Atkins to SouthBeach without results you may be very frustrated. You may have gone even further with exercise and tried weight loss pills with the scary product recalls. Many overweight or obese people think that liposuction for weight loss is the perfect solution to their problem. Losing weight with liposuction seems so simple. You walk in one day and when you walk out you have much less fat to tip the scales.
Before this happy ending takes place we need to consider who is the ideal candidate to use liposuction to lose weight. There are several qualifications that make someone a good candidate for liposuction for weight loss.
These include:
- candidate should be over the age of eighteen
- should also be in good general health
- should be of normal weight with a few trouble spots
Typical health conditions that would not make a candidate ideal would include diabetes, heart conditions, or any type of infection. Many people think that a good candidate for liposuction is someone who needs to lose a significant number of pounds like ten or more, but the opposite is actually true. Trying to lose weight with liposuction is not a good idea for these people.
If you are overweight or obese and were considering liposuction as a way to lose weight you may be a little confused by what we have discussed. Why wouldn’t this work on you? Well, there is one main reason why liposuction is generally performed on people of a normal weight with a few trouble spots. These people generally have firm skin. Overweight people typically have loose skin. Because this cosmetic procedure is most successful on people who have firm skin, doctors generally recommend that people who are overweight or obese not use liposuction as a way to lighten the scale. They are not likely to see the same results as people of normal weight. Their surgery can lead to medical problems because will more than likely result is baggy skin that is loose.
Liposuction is a shaping procedure, not a quick solution to lose significant amounts of weight. However, anyone considering liposuction for weight loss should consult their primary care physician before having any kind of surgery performed. The doctor will be able to tell you all the risks associated with this plastic surgery and give you a better projection of the results you might see.
Though liposuction for weight loss is not recommended I can see why people would think that this would work. Look at it this way, your doctor may advise you to lose a certain amount of pounds using other methods like diet and exercise. Afterwards liposuction can be the procedure that helps you with those last few pounds and then you would be an ideal candidate after all.
Liposuction - The Most Popular Aesthetic Surgery Today
Aesthetic liposuction surgery is the most popular of the cosmetic procedures we looked at in our previous article. It is the number one most popular surgical procedure not only for women but also for men. A total of 455,489 procedures were performed in 2005, according to the ASAPS report.
A couple of definitions would definitely help our discussion:
- Aesthetic: of, relating to, or dealing with aesthetics or the beautiful
- Liposuction (Lipoplasty): surgical removal of local fat deposits (as in the thighs) especially for cosmetic purposes
Source: Merriam-Webster Online DictionarySince the statistics taken from The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery(ASAPS) are for the United States it is not surprising that this would be the most popular procedure.
“An estimated two of every three American adults, and more than one in six children and adolescents are considered overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” This is according to an article posted on CNN.com “Obesity: A Looming National Threat?”It would only be logical that Americans would be flocking to liposuction surgery not only for aesthetic reasons but also for health reasons.
If you’re overweight and you’ve tried everything to lose weight, but just can’t seem to do it, you may have considered signing up for liposuction. Liposuction sounds great. A doctor suctions all the fat out of you, leaving you lean and trim. .However, you should do your research and know all the ins and outs of the procedure before you go under the knife, so to speak. Any surgery is not to be taken lightly and it should be a last resort.
Causes of WeightGain
First of all, anyone considering this cosmetic procedure needs to seriously look at themselves and ask why they are overweight. Can it be a glandular problem or do you have psychological reasons why you might be eating too much. What about your food choices I know that sometimes I gain weight because I eat too much of the wrong things (Chocolate is the killer for me). If you’re overweight merely because of a poor diet and no exercise, consider joining a gym or signing up for a diet program that you have researched. You’d be amazed at how just a few lifestyle changes can make you look and feel better. If you’re not sure where to start, consider hiring a person trainer, they are great for that extra bit of motivation. Consider these things before liposuction.
OK, I’m Ready to Try Jump In
If you truly have tried every diet out there and you’ve bought every piece of gym equipment you see advertised on TV and you still can’t drop those unwanted pounds, then it’s time to talk to your doctor. Find a good doctor who performs liposuction and schedule a consultation. Your doctor will explain what liposuction will do for you, the risks and what to expect before, during and after the surgery. The doctor’s job is to make sure that you are completely comfortable with the procedure before you go under anesthesia. That way, you won’t have any unrealistic expectations.
Liposuction will not turn a severely overweight person into a greek god overnight. Liposuction gets rid of the fat but does not get rid of the other multitude of issues that may have brought you to the choice to undergo this aesthetic procedure. Do your homework and make sure you give yourself a fighting chance at other options. Also make sure you are a good candidate for this type of cosmetic procedure.
Cosmetic Procedures and You - More Common Than You Think
I recently entered my 40s and as most women know this is when your body starts to show the signs of age. Cosmetic procedures were not something I thought I would consider but I’m no longer that sure. As I thought about this I wondered about how common they were. Well first we would need to consider what falls under the category of cosmetic procedure. When I first thought about it plastic surgery is the first to come to mind but there is much more to this than just that.
During my research I found some great statistics provided by The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery(ASAPS). This organization’s primary mission is to conduct research and provide education in the area of cosmetic plastic surgery. Though there focus appears to be cosmetic surgery you will see that they cover non-surgical areas as well. Here are some snippets I found interesting from the ASAPS data:
The most recent statistics are for 2005. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery(ASAPS) noted that it’s doctors and surgeons had performed almost 11.5 million cosmetic procedures. Of these procedures, 19 percent were surgical and the remaining 81 percent were non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
Though there was a decrease of 4% from 2004-2005 in the total number the growth in popularity of some of the procedures is amazing, particularly in the use of Botox. Keep in mind since 1997 there has been an increase of 444% in the total number of cosmetic procedures. Surgical procedures grew 119 percent but non-surgical procedures grew 726 percent.
For 2005, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery noted how often various procedures were performed. Their results showed that the number one plastic surgery procedure was liposuction.
Top 5 Surgical Cosmetic Procedures were:
- Liposuction(otherwise known as lipoplasty)
- Breast Augmentation
- Blepharoplasty(Eyelid Surgery)
- Rhinoplasty (Nose Job)
- Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)
Top 5 Nonsurgical Cosmetic Procedures were:
- Botox
- Laser Hair Removal
- Hyaluronic Acid
- Microdermabrasion
- Chemical Peel
The breakdown of the data for male cosmetic procedures versus female shows that there are commonalities like liposuction and eyelid surgery but diverged from there.
The top procedures for males were:
- Liposuction
- Rhinoplasty
- Blepharoplasty(Eyelid Surgery
- Male Breast Reduction
- Facelift
Hair Transplantation dropped by 41% from 2004.
The top procedures for females were:
- Liposuction
- Breast Augmentation
- Blepharoplasty(Eyelid surgery
- Abdominoplasty
- Breast Lift(what is this?)
Facelifts dropped off of the top five tin 2005.
The demographics of the data also surprised me a little. Since most people think of cosmetic procedures as plastic surgery they tend to associate them with older people. I think they would be surprised to find that due to the nonsurgical cosmetic procedures available younger people have also entered the mix. Though those 35 and older due account for 71 percent of the numbers, 29 percent are younger and of that 1.5 percent are 18 and under. Laser Hair Removal is the most popular for this set.
Many of these procedures, particularly the surgical ones are very expensive. You may be asking yourself how much these procedures cost. Overall in 2005 Americans spent $12.4 billion on cosmetic procedures. The surprising thing here to me is that many procedures are not covered by insurance. A whole new business has cropped up to help finance the demand. The non-surgical cosmetic procedures are of course cheaper but they may require multiple treatments so the costs can stack up.
So where does all this information leave us? I wanted to explore this topic so I started this blog to research areas that I might be interested in and perhaps hear from others who are going through the same. Given the information I think I will start with Liposuction since there has to be a reason why it is so popular. Maybe after that we can take a look at Botox on the non-surgical side. I definitely think exploring the non-surgical cosmetic surgeries are worth the effort as well since a lot of thought and research should go into anything that will have a lasting affect not only on your body but more importantly the inner you as well. Till next time…
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