Plastic surgery, also known as cosmetic surgery, is a range of different techniques that are involved with the correction or restoration of the human form. There are a range of plastic surgery (Schönheitsklinik Beauty-Pro) procedures that are used for medical reasons, such as the various types of reconstructive surgery, hand surgery, microsurgery, and burn treatment.
However, cosmetic surgery procedures have become more widely known in the past couple of decades, with numerous popular procedures in wide use. Some examples of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures include facelifts, tummy tucks, eyelid surgery, liposuction, breast augmentation and reduction, buttock implants, chemical peels, ear surgery, collagen injections, and botox treatments. As you can see, there are a wide range of cosmetic surgery procedures in wide use throughout the developed world, which are performed by a range of licensed cosmetic plastic surgeons.

While the history of reconstructive surgery goes back to India in 800 BC, the use of these techniques for cosmetic purposes is much more recent. Plastic surgery as a speciality has evolved and developed considerably in the 20th and 21st centuries, with developments in medical procedures and the birth of the entire cosmetic surgery industry. Cosmetic plastic surgery is a huge industry in many developed nations, with a particularly strong industry throughout the United States. While cosmetic plastic surgery involves techniques that are used for the enhancement of the physical form, much of the technology and knowledge surrounding the industry is a direct result of advances to medical reconstructive surgery that took place during the last few centuries. For example, New Zealand otolaryngologist Harold Gillies developed many techniques when caring for soldiers suffering from disfiguring facial injuries in WWI, and more techniques were developed following WWII.

There are over 13 million cosmetic procedures taking place every year in the United States alone, a number that has increased well over 50 percent since the start of this century. While there are a huge range of possible procedures available, some are much more popular than others. The five most common cosmetic surgical procedures are breast augmentation, liposuction, nasal surgery, eyelid surgery, and abdominoplasty. However, there are also an increasing number of non surgical cosmetic procedures such as botox injections and chemical peels that are also becoming more popular all the time. Along with the US, cosmetic plastic surgery has also become very common in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and parts of China.