Both women and men are choosing cosmetic procedures to keep their youthful appearance and feel good about themselves. Also, the technical advancements made in plastic surgery over the last few years have made cosmetic procedures easier and safer for the patient. Liposuction, a surgical technique that removes unwanted fat from the body, while improving body contour, is still the most commonly performed cosmetic procedure. The number of liposuction procedures has increased nearly five times since 1992, with 230,865 procedures performed in 1999, compared to 47,212 in 1992. This could easily contribute to the procedure s popularity.
Breast augmentation is the second most common cosmetic procedure.
The number of women having the procedure has increased more than five times since 1992, rising from 32,607 to 167,318 in 1999. Eyelid surgery, facelifts and tummy tucks complete the list of the top five procedures for 1999. Eyelid surgery, which corrects drooping upper lids and puffy bags below the eyes, doubled since 1992, rising from 59,461 to 142,033. Facelifts are up 82 percent from 40,077 in 1992 to 72,793. Tummy tucks or abdominoplasty tripled in the eight-year time span with 16,810 procedures performed in 1992 compared to 54,977 in 1999.