Cosmetic Procedures: Cosmetic Surgery Options -- The Basics

There are many treatment options to improve or change your face and body. When you talk to your surgeon, be open about what you want, but be willing to listen to their recommendations. They may recommend a different procedure to achieve a similar result.

Often a less invasive or more isolated procedure will do as well as a more involved surgery. And in some cases, your doctor may recommend one of a number of skin care products or non-surgical cosmetic procedures to treat your problem. Below is a summary of some of the newer options available.

Isolated Surgical Techniques

For people with less facial aging, a neck lift, forehead lift, mid-face lift, eyelid surgery or chin surgery can minimize the effects of aging and offer a fresher, more youthful look.

Cosmetic procedures to improve the body's appearance include liposuction, breast enlargement or reduction, and abdominoplasty ("tummy tuck").

Minimally Invasive Cosmetic Surgery

For many surgical procedures, including cosmetic surgery, the method of choice has shifted from traditional open surgery to the use of less invasive techniques. Minimally invasive surgery is surgery done with the aid of a viewing scope and specially designed surgical instruments. The scope allows the surgeon to perform major surgery through several tiny openings without the need for a large incision.

These minimally invasive alternatives usually result in less pain, less scarring, and a quicker recovery for the patient, as well as reduced healthcare costs. Most surgeries -- from heart operations to vasectomies -- are now being done with minimally invasive methods. In fact, operations and therapeutic procedures performed through smaller incisions are becoming standard in surgical medicine.

In cosmetic surgery, minimally invasive procedures use newer technologies, such as a laser, to perform procedures that once required extensive surgery and recovery time. Today's plastic surgeons have available a variety of tools and techniques that make procedures such as facelifts and eye lifts more accessible and affordable.

In fact, most cosmetic procedures are performed on an outpatient basis in fully equipped operating rooms under either local or general anesthesia.

Recovery times vary depending upon the procedure, but generally the healing period is between one and two weeks for facial cosmetic surgery. In fact, most patients resume their normal activities within two weeks following surgery.