Plastic Surgery

Are you unhappy with the shape of your body or one of your facial features? Plastic surgery procedures are designed to address cosmetic flaws that make patients feel self conscious about their appearance. At DocShop, we have complete information about various plastic surgery procedures, including their costs, associated risks, surgical techniques, and benefits.

Browse our website to learn more about the plastic surgery procedure that you desire. Simply click on the area of the body that you would like to improve upon, then navigate to the appropriate plastic surgery procedure; or continue reading to learn more about the five most commonly performed procedures in the United States.

• Body Procedures
• Breast Procedures
• Facial Procedures

Breast Augmentation

According to American Society of Plastic Surgeons' statistics, breast augmentation is the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure in the United States. The placement of breast implants is the safest and most effective method of breast enlargement. Saline or silicone breast implants can be placed under or over the chest muscle via five incisional areas: the crease of the breast, around the areola, the armpit, the navel, or the abdomen.

Breast Augmentation Procedure Stats

• Cost: $3,541 for saline implants, $3,860 for silicone gel implants
  
• Recovery Period: Three days to two weeks
  
• Best Results: Four to eight weeks
  
• Side Effects: Bruising, swelling, and pain
• Risks: Infection, anesthesia allergies, capsular contracture, implant rippling, implant rupture
• Procedures performed in 2010: 296,203

Rhinoplasty

The nose plays a major role in facial aesthetics. Simply narrowing the bridge, perfecting the tip, and removing ridges through rhinoplasty can improve your appearance and enhance surrounding features. During the nose reshaping procedure, surgeons use the open or closed rhinoplasty technique to reshape nasal cartilage so the nose blends in with surrounding features. The open approach involves the creation of an external incision across the columella; in the closed technique, surgeons perform surgery through incisons that are made in the nostrils. The benefit of the open rhinoplasty method is that it provides the surgeon unrestricted access to nasal cartilage and bone. The downside is that it results in some external scarring.

Rhinoplasty Procedure Stats

• Cost: $4,493
• Recovery Period: One to two weeks
  
• Results: Two to three weeks, but could take up to six months for all swelling to go down
  
• Side Effects: Bleeding, bruising, swelling, and pain
• Risks: Infection, anesthesia allergies, breathing problems
• Procedures performed in 2010: 252,261

Eyelid Surgery

Blepharoplasty, or eyelid lift surgery, can restore youthfulness to the skin surrounding your eyes. Surgeons perform upper eyelid surgery to remove excess eyelid skin and lift heavy brows; in the lower eyelid lift, excess fat is removed and the skin is tightened to minimize the appearance of bags under the eyes. The majority of men and women that undergo upper or lower cosmetic eyelid surgery are at least 35 years of age, but patients do undergo the procedure at a younger age if they have bags under their eyes or too much skin on the upper lids due to genetics. Addressing the excess fat and skin that accumulates as we age can significantly improve a person's appearance and the way that they feel about themselves.

Eyelid Surgery Procedure Stats

• Cost: $2,717
  
• Recovery Period: One to two weeks
  
• Results: One to two months
  
• Side Effects: Bruising, swelling, and pain
• Risks: Infection, anesthesia allergies, nerve damage
• Procedures performed in 2010: 208,764

Liposuction

Excess fat can be removed from the hips, abdomens, flanks, thighs, and other areas of the body with liposuction. Liposuction surgery involves the creation of one or a series of small incisions that are made in the area that is going to be treated. A cannula, or specially designed suctioning device, is then inserted through the incisions so it can vacuum extra fat out of the body. There are several different types of liposuction that are currently available, but the majority of surgeons prefer to perform traditional, suction assisted liposuction with tumescent injections. Power assisted or ultrasonic assisted liposuction is typically recommended in harder to treat areas, such as under the chin or the arms.

Liposuction Procedure Stats

• Cost: $2,803
  
• Recovery Period: One to two weeks
  
• Results: One to two months
• Side Effects: Bruising, swelling, and pain
• Risks: Infection, anesthesia allergies, uneven or lumpy appearance
• Procedures performed in 2010: 203,106

Tummy Tuck

Have you recently lost a significant amount of weight, but still don't feel confident in your own skin? You can feel comfortable revealing your new figure by shedding the extra skin with a tummy tuck. Tummy tuck is generally performed on women that have developed loose skin on the abdomen after pregnancy, or on patients that are left with wrinkled abdominal skin after losing a significant amount of weight. Tummy tuck surgery offers dramatic body contouring results, producing a smoother, flatter abdomen in patients.

Tummy Tuck Procedure Stats

• Cost: $5,381
  
• Recovery Period: One to three weeks
  
• Results: Two to four months
  
• Side Effects: Bleeding, bruising, fluid drainage, swelling, and pain
• Risks: Infection, anesthesia allergies, blood clots
• Procedures performed in 2010: 116,352

The Answers You Need from Doctors You Can Trust

The best plastic surgeons blend art with science for stunning results. At DocShop, we provide prospective plastic surgery patients with an easy-to-use online directory of cosmetic surgeons. Complete with physician profiles, lists of procedures offered, and direct links to the doctors' websites, you can be sure to find a reputable surgeon at DocShop. Find the top cosmetic surgeons in your area today.

Image Sources: breast augmentation and tummy tuck photo, eyelid surgery and rhinoplasty photo, liposuction photo, Megan Fox photo

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