Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Teenagers
• Men
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Surgeons can reshape the appearance of body parts through cosmetic surgery. Some of the most common body parts people want to improve through surgery include

• Breasts: Increase or reduce the size of breasts or reshape sagging breasts
• Ears: Reduce the size of large ears or set protruding ears back closer to the head
• Eyes: Correct drooping upper eyelids or remove puffy bags below the eyes
• Face: Remove facial wrinkles, creases or acne scars
• Hair: Fill in balding areas with one's own hair
• Nose: Change the shape of the nose
• Tummy: Flatten the abdomen

Start Here

• Cosmetic Surgery (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
• Cosmetic Surgery: What to Know Beforehand (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Related Issues

• Body Contouring After Major Weight Loss (American Society of Plastic Surgeons)
• Body Dysmorphic Disorder (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Breast Implants (Food and Drug Administration)
• Cosmetic Foot Surgery: Fashion's Pandora's Box (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)
• Cosmetic Procedure Questions (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)
• Do's and Don'ts for Liposuction (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)
• General Dermatologic Surgery Information (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)
• Patient Safety: Do Your Homework (American Society of Plastic Surgeons)
• Removing Hair Safely (Food and Drug Administration)

Specifics

• Abdominoplasty - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Arm Lift (Brachioplasty) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Blepharoplasty - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Breast Augmentation (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Breast augmentation - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Breast Lift (Mastopexy) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Breast lift (mastopexy) - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Breast reduction (mammoplasty) - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Breast Reduction Surgery (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Buttock Lift (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Chemical Peel (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Chin augmentation - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Cosmetic Dermatology (American Academy of Dermatology)
• Craniofacial reconstruction - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Dermabrasion (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Ear Plastic Surgery (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• Face-Lift (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Facelift - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Facial Cosmetic Surgery (American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons)
• Forehead lift - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hair Transplants (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)
• Laser Hair Removal (Logical Images)
• Laser Therapy (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)
• Laser Vascular Lesion Treatment (Logical Images)
• Nose surgery - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Otoplasty (Cosmetic Ear Surgery) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Skin smoothing surgery - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

• Breast lift (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Liposuction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• Plastic Surgery Statistics (American Society of Plastic Surgeons) - PDF

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Breast Implants (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Reconstructive Surgical Procedures (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Surgery, Plastic (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Discussion: State of the Plastic Surgery Workforce and the Impact...
• Article: Return of the cadaver: Key role of anatomic dissection for...
• Article: Discussion: Homeotic and Embryonic Gene Expression in Breast Adipose Tissue...
• Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery -- see more articles
• Facelift (Rhytidoplasty) -- see more articles
• Liposuction (Lipectomy) -- see more articles
• Plastic surgery on the eyelid (Blepharoplasty) -- see more articles
• Plastic surgery on the nose (Rhinoplasty) -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• American Society for Dermatologic Surgery
• Find a Dermatologic Surgeon (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)

Teenagers

• Cosmetic Surgery (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
• How Do I Get Rid of Extra Skin After Weight Loss? (Nemours Foundation)
• Plastic Surgery (Nemours Foundation)

Men

• Penis-Enlargement Products: Do They Work? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Patient Handouts

• Abdominal wall surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Breast augmentation surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Breast lift (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Chin augmentation (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Eyelid lift (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Facelift (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Head and face reconstruction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Liposuction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Rhinoplasty (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish