The online survey took place in March of 2010, and 2,148 adults age 18 and older responded. Respondents were also asked which specific aesthetic procedures men and women would undergo if money were not an issue.

Plastic Surgery Procedures

• Breast augmentation: 2% of men, and 10% of women
• Breast lift: 1% of men, and 26% of women
• Breast reduction: 2% of men, and 8% of women
• Facelift: 8% of men, and 17% of women
• Lip augmentation: 4% of men, and 2% of women
• Liposuction: 18% of men, and 26% of women
• Rhinoplasty: 4% of men, and 5% of women
• Scar removal: 10% of men, and 11% of women
• Tummy tuck: 15% of men, and 40% of women

Non-invasive Procedures

• Teeth whitening: 51% of men, and 46% of women
• Vision correction surgery: 44% of men, and 35% of women
• Hair removal: 18% of men, and 35% of women
• Cellulite treatment: 3% of men, and 21% of women
• Vein treatment: 6% of men, and 18% of women
• Dermal filler injections: 7% of men, and 15% of women
• Microdermabrasion: 4% of men, and 14% of women
• Hair replacement: 16% of men, and 5% of women
• Laser skin treatment: 7% of men, and 11% of women
• Chemical peels: 5% of men, and 9% of women
• BOTOX® injections: 4% of men, and 9% of women

According to the data ASPS published, American surgeons performed 1,521,409 plastic surgery procedures in 2009. The number of surgical procedures performed decreased 9 percent compared to the previous year. Conversely, the number of non-invasive procedures increased 1 percent in 2009, with 10,972,592 non-surgical procedures performed.

Most Popular Plastic Surgery Procedures

• Breast augmentation: 289,328
• Rhinoplasty: 255,972
• Eyelid surgery: 203,309
• Liposuction: 198,251
• Tummy tuck: 115,191

Most Popular Non-surgical Procedures

• BOTOX® injections: 4,795,357
• Soft tissue fillers: 1,722,054
• Chemical peels: 1,142,949
• Microdermabrasion: 910,168
• Laser hair removal: 893,054

Most Popular Plastic Surgery Procedures for Women

• Breast augmentation: 289,000
• Rhinoplasty: 190,000
• Liposuction: 176,000
• Eyelid surgery: 173,000
• Tummy tuck: 111,000

Most Popular Non-surgical Procedures for Women

• BOTOX® Cosmetic: 4,500,000
• Soft tissue fillers: 1,600,000
• Chemical peels: 1,000,000
• Laser hair removal: 734,000
• Microdermabrasion: 734,000

Most Popular Plastic Surgery Procedures for Men

• Rhinoplasty: 66,000
• Eyelid surgery: 30,000
• Liposuction: 22,000
• Breast reduction in men: 17,000
• Hair transplantation: 13,000

Most Popular Non-surgical Procedures for Men

• BOTOX® Cosmetic: 308,000
• Microdermabrasion: 177,000
• Laser hair removal: 159,000
• Chemical peels: 93,000
• Soft tissue fillers: 71,000

Cleaning Products

Many household cleaning products contain notices warning consumers that they contain toxic and poisonous ingredients. With the development of green, natural cleaning solutions that aren’t harmful to your health, there is no need to keep buying the dangerous cleaning products still on the market.

Meat, Dairy, Produce, and Processed Foods

A majority of the food products on the shelves and in refrigerated sections of the grocery store contain added hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, chemicals, and other unnatural additives. If you are concerned about how the food you eat affects your health, consider buying organic products.

Non-Stick Pans

Non-stick pans contain perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), chemicals that have been linked to cancers and other health problems. Non-stick pans are popular for their ease of use, but it is a better idea to purchase non-toxic pots, pans, and other cookware.

Unfortunately, once stretch marks appear, they are difficult to treat. There are few effective stretch mark removal treatments on the market. Some lotions, creams, pills, and other products claim that they can minimize the appearance of stretch marks over time. Professional dermatology treatments such as microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and laser treatments are somewhat effective in reducing the appearance of stretch marks, but several treatments must be performed in succession in order to achieve the best results. Even then, stretch marks do not completely disappear.

The only treatment on the market that is capable of completely removing stretch marks is surgery. The drawback of this treatment is that patients still end up with a scar, as an incision will be required to remove the skin affected by stretch marks.

Patients who are the best candidates for surgical stretch mark removal are those who have stretch marks and excess skin on their stomachs. These patients may be good candidates for tummy tuck surgery. During tummy tuck surgery, excess skin and skin affected by stretch marks can be removed.

Liposuction Removes Cellulite

Cellulite is an unwanted cosmetic condition that affects millions of men and women. Unfortunately, once cellulite has formed, it can be difficult to reduce its appearance. Many people falsely believe that liposuction surgery can remove cellulite, but liposuction only removes fat, it does not smooth out the skin and underlying connective tissues. Effective cellulite reducing techniques such as VelaShape involve use of radiofrequency waves, infrared light, and massage rollers.

Liposuction Removes Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are scars caused by stretching of the skin. Liposuction is designed to remove fat from the body, not to reduce the appearance of scars. The appearance of stretch marks can be minimized with laser scar removal treatment.

Liposuction Works on Obese Individuals

Liposuction is intended to remove small pockets of fat from one or two areas of the body. Patients with excessive body fat are not good candidates for liposuction.

Liposuction Requires One to Two Weeks of Recovery Time

Liposuction techniques have advanced significantly in the past few years, and recovery times have been reduced to as little as one to two days.

This year’s statistics shows that there has been about a 2 percent decrease in the total number of aesthetic elective procedures performed in 2009 compared to 2008. Interestingly, the number of non-invasive treatments performed increased by almost one percent, but the number of plastic surgery procedures performed decreased by 17 percent. This highlights the growing popularity of cosmetic procedures that do not require surgery.

Most Popular Non-surgical Treatments

Botox injections: 2,557,068 treatments
Hyaluronic acid injections 1,313,038 treatments
Laser hair removal: 1,280,031 treatments
Microdermabrasion: 621,943 treatments
Chemical peels: 529,285 treatments

Most Popular Surgical Procedures

Breast augmentation: 311,957 procedures
Liposuction: 283,735procedures
Eyelid surgery: 149,943 procedures
Rhinoplasty: 138,258 procedures
Tummy tuck: 127,923 procedures

Men vs. Women

Women account for most cosmetic procedures, undergoing more than 90 percent of them. However, the number of women undergoing treatment in 2009 dropped 3 percent from the year before. Conversely, the number of men who had aesthetic treatments performed increased more than 8 percent from the year before.

In order to get accredited by the AAAASF, surgical facilities must pass an inspection and the Medical Director and physicians practicing out of the center must have appropriate credentials. After the outpatient surgical center receives accreditation, routine follow-ups and inspections will be conducted.

Physicians in various specialties run the AAAASF accreditation program. They ensure that each facility follows the proper standards of care in a number of areas, including anesthesia, recovery room policies and procedures, operating room policies and procedures, medical records, and personnel.

Dr. Paul Pin performs all of his plastic surgery procedures in a safe, accredited facility. Contact our plastic surgery office today to schedule your consultation with Dr. Paul Pin.

Victoria Beckham

Former Spice Girl and current fashion icon Beckham is rumored to have undergone breast implant revision last spring to reduce the size of her implants.

Amy Winehouse

According to Winehouse’s father, the British songstress underwent breast augmentation last fall to fill out her small frame.

Kelli Pickler

After Pickler showed up to an awards show last spring looking like she had recently undergone facial plastic surgery, gossip magazines and bloggers speculated that the American Idol alum underwent procedures ranging from rhinoplasty, cheek implants, BOTOX injections, eyelid surgery, brow lift, and lip augmentation.

Carrie Prejean

Pageant directors at Miss California Organization admitted that they had paid for Prejean to have breast implants placed after she won the Miss California title.

Lindsay Lohan

Though she has yet to admit it, it appears that the actress and notorious party girl had lip filler injections throughout the past year.

Rupert Everett

Last spring, Everett’s notably different appearance led many to believe that the actor undergone facial plastic surgery procedures such as facelift and eyelid surgery.

Gordon Ramsay

It appears that TV chef Ramsay had BOTOX injections to reduce forehead wrinkling.

Bruce Jenner

On the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the former athlete underwent a second facelift to correct a previous plastic surgery, as well as a neck lift.

2. Patients should rest in bed for the first few days following surgery.

3. Do not shower for at least 48 hours after surgery.

4. Keep incisions clean and replace bandages as necessary.

5. Drainage tubes will be removed about five to 10 days after surgery.

6. Stitches will be removed after about a week.

7. A support or compression garment should be worn for about a week after surgery.

8. Have a family member or friend available to help care for you in the days following surgery.

9. Do not smoke or consume alcohol in the weeks following surgery.

10. Take at least one to two weeks off of work.

11. Take pain medications as recommended by your doctor.

12. Do not drive when taking pain medications.

13. Do not engage in strenuous activity for about six weeks.

What I do tell them is to worry more about who is doing the procedure rather than focusing on the technique.  Companies that manufacture medical devices are concerned about selling those devices to doctors.  Whether those doctors have formal training in plastic surgery does not always seem to matter.  I recently looked at the website of a leading laser liposuction manufacturer and found eight doctors in Texas.  One was Board Certified in Plastic Surgery, and one in Dermatology. Of the other six, two were certified by OB-Gyn, one in  Anesthesia, one in General Surgery, one in Family Medicine, and one had no Specialty Certification at all.

I am amazed that patients will have liposuction done by an ob-gyn or an internist. If they went to a plastic surgeon to have their baby delivered, would they expect the same quality they would receive from a Board Certified Ob-Gyn?  Of course not!  So why do patients think their liposuction done by a non-plastic surgeon will be as good?

Laser Liposuction is frequently “sold” as a procedure that is done under local anesthesia, leading patients to believe that it  will cost less. However, if they would comparison shop, patients would find this is not at all true.  Likewise, there is an implication that Laser Liposuction is somehow safer, but I have seen two patients who have been irreparably damaged by laser liposuction.  Less pain is also a purported benefit of the Laser technique, but there was a recent patient who thought the procedure was so horrible, that she complained to the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners.

I advise patients to ignore the hype and to be wary of heavily advertised procedures like  laser liposuction, as they are frequently oversold.  I continue to do tumescent liposuction under general anesthesia in an operating room as I believe the technique is proven to give the most consistent results at a reasonable cost and  with the fewest complications.      In selected cases such as revision liposuction or liposuction for gynecomastia, I will also use ultrasonic-assisted liposuction.  When scientific evidence is presented that laser liposuction is safe and offers an advantages to the patient, I will consider performing the procedure.