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Quiz: Cosmetic Surgery Myths and Facts

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What is the average age of cosmetic surgery patients?

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What is the average age of cosmetic surgery patients?

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According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, the average age of patients receiving cosmetic surgery is 41. Younger patients tend to pursue treatments such as rhinoplasty (nose reshaping), breast augmentation, and liposuction; older patients get more facelifts, breast lifts, and eyelid surgery.

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What's the most popular type of cosmetic surgery for women?

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What's the most popular type of cosmetic surgery for women?

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Breast augmentation is the most common cosmetic surgery procedure performed on women, with 318,123 augmentations performed in 2010, according to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Other popular cosmetic surgeries in women include liposuction, breast reduction, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), and cosmetic eyelid surgery.

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Breast implants are likely to require additional future surgeries.

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Breast implants are likely to require additional future surgeries.

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Breast implants do not last forever. According to the FDA, "if you decide to get breast implants, you will likely need additional surgeries on your breasts over your lifetime due to rupture, other complications (for example, capsular contracture, breast pain), or unacceptable cosmetic outcomes (for example, asymmetry, unsatisfactory style/size, wrinkling/rippling)."

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Breast implants make it more difficult to screen for breast cancer with mammograms.

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Breast implants make it more difficult to screen for breast cancer with mammograms.

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Breast implants can hide some breast tissue from X-ray imagery, making it more difficult to screen for breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute recommends that women with implants continue to have mammograms but alert the mammography facility about the implants and make sure that the technician and radiologist are experienced in performing mammography on women with implants.

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What's the most popular type of cosmetic surgery for men?

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What's the most popular type of cosmetic surgery for men?

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Liposuction is the most common cosmetic surgery procedure performed on men, with 37,183 procedures performed on men in 2010, according to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Other popular cosmetic surgeries for men include rhinoplasty (nose reshaping), cosmetic eyelid surgery, male breast reduction, and cosmetic ear surgery.

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What percentage of cosmetic procedures are performed on men?

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What percentage of cosmetic procedures are performed on men?

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According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, men had more than 750,000 cosmetic procedures in 2010, about 8% of all cosmetic surgeries (women had about 8.6 million procedures). That may sound like a small percentage, but it represents an 88% jump in the number of cosmetic procedures for men since 1997.

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What’s the most popular cosmetic surgery for teenagers (ages 13 to 19)?

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What’s the most popular cosmetic surgery for teenagers (ages 13 to 19)?

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In 2010, 35,005 teenagers underwent rhinoplasty (nose reshaping), according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Male breast reduction accounted for 13,530 teen operations, 3,205 had liposuction, and 8,525 teens had breast augmentation surgery. It should be noted that the FDA recommends that cosmetic breast augmentation be restricted to women over 18 because young women’s breasts continue to develop through their late teens and early 20s.

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Which of the following is an actual procedure performed by some cosmetic surgeons?

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Which of the following is an actual procedure performed by some cosmetic surgeons?

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In addition to dimple creation, belly button surgery, and cosmetic foot surgeries, some doctors also provide cosmetic female genital surgery, penis enlargement, and bicep and tricep implants. The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgeons says such procedures aren’t common, citing a survey that indicated only 1.6% of cosmetic surgery patients reported having one of these procedures.

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A cosmetic or plastic surgeon must be board-certified to perform cosmetic surgery in the U.S.

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A cosmetic or plastic surgeon must be board-certified to perform cosmetic surgery in the U.S.

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No board certification is required for a licensed surgeon to perform cosmetic surgery in the United States. However, board certification is a useful measure of a surgeon's qualifications. Cosmetic surgeons should have board certification from the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.

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Which of the following can be done as an outpatient procedure?

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Which of the following can be done as an outpatient procedure?

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Many cosmetic surgery procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis. Occasionally, the surgeon may recommend an overnight stay. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery recommends that "patients should arrange to have someone available for assistance for the first day or two following surgery."

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What is the estimated death rate for liposuction procedures?

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What is the estimated death rate for liposuction procedures?

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Liposuction is usually performed without any major complications, however, the death rate is estimated to be about one in 5,000 procedures. Potentially life-threatening complications of liposuction include blood clots to the lungs, severe and serious bleeding, and infection. Other potential complications include swelling, bruising infection, and permanent color changes in the skin.

 

Each type of cosmetic surgery procedure carries its own risks, and any major surgery includes a risk of complications, including death.

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Which of the following typically requires the most recovery time?

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Which of the following typically requires the most recovery time?

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It tends to take longer to recover from cosmetic surgery procedures on the lower body. Recovery times are measured in weeks for thigh lifts (2 to 4 weeks) and lower body lifts (4 to 6 weeks). Lower body lifts -- intended to tighten loose, sagging skin in the buttocks, hips, and thighs -- can take up to eight hours to perform and are one of the costliest cosmetic surgeries.

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Cosmetic surgery can help people who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder.

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Cosmetic surgery can help people who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder.

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Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental condition in which a person becomes preoccupied with minor or imaginary physical flaws. Cosmetic surgery can be a problem for such people, because they are likely to be unhappy with the results of surgery and seek additional operations. Alternatively, they may become preoccupied with other minor or imaginary defects and pursue a series of cosmetic surgeries, none of which address their underlying mental disorder. Patients said to be addicted to cosmetic surgery are often suffering from body dysmorphic disorder.

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You may not be a good candidate for cosmetic surgery if you:

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You may not be a good candidate for cosmetic surgery if you:

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The American Society of Plastic Surgeons identifies several categories of patients who are inappropriate candidates for cosmetic surgery. These include people in crisis (divorce, job loss, death of a spouse, etc.), people who have unrealistic expectations or who are unusually difficult to please, perfectionists obsessed with an unusually minor physical defect, and patients who have a mental illness.

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More Reading on Cosmetic Surgery

 

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD on June 03, 2011

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