Although some may harbor a dim view of cosmetic surgery, seeing it as frivolous, the upsurge in number of procedures performed annually shows that cosmetic surgery has become acceptable to the mainstream American household.

However, it should be noted that elective procedures involve risk like any operation, and should therefore not be undertaken lightly. Within the US, critics of plastic surgery have noted that it is legal for any doctor (regardless of speciality) to perform plastic surgery; a practice which may lead to a suboptimal result. It is vital to check a physician's credentials, looking for those MDs who are actually board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery . Because cosmetic surgery is seen as lucrative, many other specialties have tried to make themselves sound more official and qualified by making up associations or "medical boards", even though their training does not encompass all aspects of reconstructive and cosmetic/aesthetic surgery of plastic surgeons. However, there is only one governing board of American physicians (the American Board of Medical Specialties link) which only recognizes the American Board of Plastic Surgery and not these other "boards".

Other "boards" such as "facial plastic surgery" or "American Cosmetic Surgery" are not officially recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. In fact, the term "facial plastic surgery" is particularly deceptive, as it implies there is a "general plastic surgery" field, which of course does not exist. Plastic surgeons who are board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery can of course perform and excel in surgery of the face. Just because a non-plastic surgeon claims they have "training" in "facial plastic surgery" does not necessarily mean they can better perform reconstructive and aesthetic procedures of the face.

The most prevalent aesthetic/cometic procedures are listed below. Most of these types of surgery are more commonly known by their "common names." These are also listed when pertinent.

1) Abdominoplasty (or "tummy tuck"): reshaping and firming of the abdomen

2) Blepharoplasty (or "eyelid surgery"): Reshaping of the eyelids or the application of permanent eyeliner, including Asian blepharoplasty

3) Augmentation Mammaplasty (or "breast enlargement" or "boob job"): Augmentation of the breasts

4) Muscle sculpting: Removal of the fat layer that is on top of chosen muscle to reveal a more appealing look after surgery (ie: six pack abs revealed through muscle sculpting)

5) Chemical peel: Removal of acne scars and sagging skin—not technically surgery and can be performed by a cosmetologist

6) Mastopexy (or "breast lift"): Raising of sagging breasts

7) Rhinoplasty (or "nose job"): Reshaping of the nose

8) Non-surgical Nose Job: A new method of reshaping of the nose without surgery. This non-invasive procedure, developed by Dr. Alexander Rivkin, uses injectable fillers to reshape the nose and hide imperfections.

9) Otoplasty (or ear surgery): Reshaping of the ear

10) Rhytidectomy (or "face lift"): Removal of wrinkles and signs of aging from the face

11) Suction-Assisted Lipectomy (or liposuction): Removal of fat from the body.

12) Circumcision: Removal of the foreskin of the penis, esp. without any diagnosis

13) Chin augmentation: Augmentation of the chin with an implant (e.g. silicone) or by sliding genioplasty of the jawbone.

14) Cheek augmentation

15) Collagen injections

16) Mesotherapy : An alternative to liposuction where fluids are injected to break down and disolve the fat. This is considered the non-invasive method to fat tissue removal.

In addition, there is increasing concern about cosmetic surgeries not done in the United States, especially liposuctions performed at the Dominican Republic: while liposuction in the Dominican Republic is considerably cheaper, six women were reported in 2004 to have returned to the United States from the Dominican Republic with an infection after having liposuctions there, and, in 2001, a Puerto Rican woman died, in a very widely publicized case by Puerto Rican newspapers.

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