Cosmetic surgery is a type of plastic surgery. Men and women have cosmetic surgery in order to change their appearance or to look younger. Cosmetic plastic surgery procedures can be performed on the face or body. In general, the cost of cosmetic surgery is not covered by insurance, so someone considering this type of procedure needs to have the financing. It's also essential to choose a qualified cosmetic surgeon and cosmetic surgery clinic or hospital.

In recent years, the number of cosmetic surgery procedures has dropped, although the number of men seeking plastic surgery has gone up. Last year, there were 10 million surgical and nonsurgical procedures, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. That's down from the year before. In the United Kingdom, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons saw a similar decline. The biggest drop was seen in big procedures such as tummy tucks and rhinoplasty. There was, however, an increase in butt implants and butt augmentation - possibly a result of people who lost weight. Breast augmentation was the most popular procedure, this following a lifting of the ban on silicon implants. Non-surgical procedures such as Botox and cosmetic fillers remained the same, which may be due to the fact that they cost less than surgical procedures. The fact that dermal fillers and begin offered in more places may also be a factor.

Until this point, the number of cosmetic surgeries being performed had been steadily increasing. Several years ago, nearly 12 million cosmetic surgeries were performed in the United States, compared to 8 million at the start of the century. Even with a decline, cosmetic surgery is a 12 billion dollar business in the U.S. The most commonly performed procedures are, in order:

• breast augmentation - over 300 million
• liposuction - over 300 million
• eyelid surgery - over 195 million
• nose surgery - over 150 million
• tummy tuck - over 140 million

The above procedures are classified as traditional "cut-and-stitch" procedures. So-called minimally invasive procedures are also increasing. For example, the use of injectables is up, with over 4 million Botox procedures in 2007 and over 2 million in 2008. There were also over one million procedures involving hyaluronic acid fillers. Chemical peels and laser resurfacing account for another one million procedures in 2008. Statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons also show that there is an increase in the number of cosmetic procedures being performed on both men and women, although women are still overwhelmingly more likely than men to have cosmetic surgery.

Cosmetic surgery isn't something for men or women to take lightly. Cosmetic surgery prices can be high. Do a lot of research. Explore a variety of cosmetic surgery resources and websites. You should always consider if you really need this, and make sure you see a qualified cosmetic surgery doctor. Cosmetic surgery procedures can target the face, the body, even the hair. A number of common ones with links follow below.

Body cosmetic procedures and surgeries:

Tummy tuck surgery - This is a procedure, also called abdominoplasty, to tighten stomach muscles and eliminate flabby skin on the stomach

Liposuction surgery - Also called liposculpture, this involves the suctioning out of fat on the face or body for a better body contour.

Buttock cosmetic surgery - Options for the butt include buttock augmentation with cosmetic implants, fat injections (Brazilian) or a butt lift procedure.

Breast lift surgery and breast augmentation - Breast lift cosmetic surgery for females involves lifting the breasts and losing excess tissue. A lift can also be combined with augmentation, in which silicon or saline implants are used to increase breast size.

Breast reduction surgery - Men and women may want to reduce the size of their breasts. For women, it is often done to correct back and shoulder pain. For males, it is done to correct a condition called gynecomastia.

Thigh lift surgery - A thigh lift can be done on the inner thighs, the outer thighs, or both (bilateral) or medial thighs to tighten loose skin.

Body lift - A body lift targets multiple body parts all at once, such as a lower body lift for the hips, thighs and buttocks, or a mid body lift that includes the stomach, or a full body lift which adds the breasts and arms.

Arm lift - This is cosmetic surgery for flabby arms, to eliminate or reduce hanging skin under the upper arms.

Facial cosmetic surgeries and procedures:

Eye lift - An eye lift or eyelid surgery is a way to reduce excess skin on the eyelid, to make the eyes appear more open and younger.

Brow lift / forehead lift - This information is on brow or forehead lift, which is a way to eliminate excess skin and wrinkles on the forehead and raise the eyebrows.

Lip augmentation / lip reduction - Lip surgery is done for fuller lips (using fillers or implants) or to reduce the size of the lips.

Face lift and neck lift surgery - This involves removing excess skin and re-draping skin on the face and neck, and can be done as a full face, mid face or lower face procedure.

Dermal wrinkle fillers - These are substances such as Restylane, Perlane and Juvederm, injected into lines or wrinkles to fill them out.

Fat injection procedure - This procedure involves fat being suctioned from one body part, purified and injected or transferred into another.

Nose Job - A nose job or rhinoplasty is surgery to reshape the nose, correcting bumps, tip, or nostrils of men or women.

Botox, Dysport Injections - Botox cosmetic, Dysport and similar products are injected into the muscle to relax it and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and frown lines in the forehead, between the eyes and other areas.

Laser resurfacing - This procedure uses lasers to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, discoloration and fine lines on the skin, for rejuvenation.

Cosmetic dentistry - This includes dental procedures that are done for appearance, such as laser teeth whitening, porcelain or composite veneers or Lumineers, tooth contouring and cosmetic gum surgery.

Chin surgery - Cosmetic chin surgery can be used for chin enlargement or chin reduction, to make facial features more balanced.

Dermabrasion and microdermabrasion - These are ways to remove the upper layers of skin. Dermabrasion is cosmetic surgery that uses a wire brush to sand down the skin. Microdermabrasion is a procedure that often uses grains or a lighter sanding tool.

Ear pinning or reshaping - Men, women or children may use cosmetic ear surgery to reshape their ears if they feel they are too large or stick out too much.

Chemical Peel - Peels can use AHA, phenol or TCA to exfoliate the upper layers of skin

Cosmetic procedures and surgeries involving hair:

Hair grafting - This is a procedure, also known as hair replacement surgery, that lets men or women fill in balding areas on their scalp with hair taken from other areas of the scalp.

Scalp reduction / scalp extension / scalp flap surgery - This section provides information on scalp reduction surgery, scalp extension surgery and scalp flap surgery for hair loss correction

Laser hair removal - This is a type of procedure that uses lasers to zap hair on the face or body, in an attempt to permanently remove hair.

Again, these are serious procedures and should not be taken lightly. So before considering cosmetic surgery, give a lot of thought to whether or not you really need this. Unlike many plastic surgeries, cosmetic surgeries are not essential. Be especially cautious if you are considering cosmetic surgery abroad. Be realistic in what you expect from the cosmetic surgery. Think about questions to ask before cosmetic surgery. Make sure you ask about your cosmetic surgeon's board certification. Make sure that - whether you are using a hospital's plastic surgery department or a cosmetic surgery clinic - that it is a properly accredited facility. You will also need to get information on cosmetic surgery costs for your procedure, as well as financing. Costs can vary widely, depending on whether this is a less complicated laser procedure, for example, or a major body contouring after weight loss.