People who were once considering getting a facelift, breast augmentation or liposuction are now having to rethink their financial situation and make a choice whether going through with their cosmetic surgery procedure is worth the cost or if it’s better to save for that rainy day.

According to this article on  CNN: Cosmetic Surgery Industry Sags with Economy, it’s evident that business is down for plastic surgeons around the country and the cost of plastic surgery procedures and the poor economy are to blame.

Cost of Plastic Surgery

This isn’t to say that no one is getting plastic surgery anymore. Instead of paying for more typically expensive procedures like a facelift or eyelid surgery, many people are opting for less expensive but not as permanent procedures such as facial fillers like Botox, Restylane or Juvederm.

Plastic surgery costs differ from state to state and even city to city so it is a good idea to do some research when looking into the prices of the plastic surgery procedure you are interested in. Financing for plastic surgery is also an option that not many people are aware of.

Below is a small example of a range of average plastic surgery costs gathered from around the country. To view the full list please visit Plastic Surgery Costs at PlasticSurgery.com

Dr. Schwartz is well known as a Dallas liposuction, breast augmentation and facelift specialist and is the featured cosmetic surgeon on “Plastic Surgery Today,” a popular radio show on Free-FM Live 105.3, which airs every Saturday from 3pm to 4pm Central Mountain Time.

Dr. Schwartz has been published in many medical journals, featured on TV shows such as the Popoff Report and America at Night and frequently asked to speak to professional groups about plastic surgery.

Schooling and Training

After graduating summa cum laude from Yale University, Dr. Schwartz was awarded a Regents Scholarship for academic excellence at UCLA School of Medicine and completed a residency in general surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles where he devoted two years to full-time research in plastic surgery.

This led to his selection for the plastic surgery residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, one of the top programs in the world.

Certifications and Licenses

• Licensed and certified in Texas and California
• American Board of Plastic Surgery
• American Board of Surgery
• Member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Medical Association, and the American College of Surgeons.

View a Video of Dr. Schwartz Plastic Surgery Today Radio Show

I found it interesting that even though the first patient, I beautiful young model / actress, who’s actually working in Hollywood and who has many magazine covers and her own calendar under her belt feels the need to have breast implants because her natural D cup breasts still do not fit the “Hollywood Image”.

Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Rey was her surgeon and I have to agree with him that she has perfectly formed breasts. The natural tear drop or “ski slope” look as he puts it, unfortunately just isn’t what Hollywood wants now a days. Because her breast are natural they tend to sag some and this results in loss of fullness in the top portion of her breasts. According to the patient, this affects her modeling certain types of clothing, lingerie, swimwear and even implied nudity shots because she is always having to hold up her breasts.

Fortunately, Dr. Rey was able to perform her breast augmentation and still keep her breasts looking natural which has allowed her to go further in her carer.

Dr. Stuart Linder, a Hollywood and Beverly Hills breast augmentation specialist, who has performed breast augmentation on models and celebrities offers his views on celebrity breast augmentation in Hollywood on his blog.

Back in February 2008, after the death of Kanye West’s mother Donda, who died due to complications resulting from cosmetic surgery for abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) and breast reduction, which was performed by a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Assembly Bill 2968 also known as the “Donda West Law” was introduced.

The “Donda West Law”, was approved earlier this week by the California Senate on August 14th and states that it is mandatory for anyone undergoing a cosmetic surgery procedure to have a history and physical examination performed before they can go through with the surgery.

Although this may seem like a basic rule of thumb before any surgery, to make sure the patient is healthy enough for the procedure and be aware of any potential complications that may arise, this isn’t always the case.

This is exactly why anyone considering cosmetic surgery should always do as much research as possible in to the schooling accreditation and experience of their potential cosmetic surgeon.

One way to make sure that you are in safe hands is to only have your cosmetic surgery procedure be performed by a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon (or at least Board eligible) who specializes in your specific procedure.

Why is Board Certification in Plastic Surgery Important?

Board certified surgeons have gone through extended schooling and training in their specific field. Did you know that California legislature has passed a Bill that allows Dentists to perform certain types of facial plastic surgery?

I don’t know about you, but I dont think I would feel to safe going to Beverly Hills for a facelift by someone who specializes in Porcelain Veneers.

Now the first thing to do is to clarify the difference between plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery.

According to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery:

“Cosmetic Surgery is a subspecialty of medicine and surgery that uniquely restricts itself to the enhancement of appearance through surgical and medical techniques. It is specifically concerned with maintaining normal appearance, restoring it, or enhancing it beyond the average level toward some aesthetic ideal. Cosmetic Surgery is a multi-disciplinary and comprehensive approach directed to all areas of the head, neck and body.”

While Plastic surgery: “Is the field of surgery concerned with reducing scarring or disfigurement that may occur as a result of accidents, birth defects, or treatment for diseases, such as melanoma.”

Its true that many plastic surgeons also perform cosmetic surgery procedures such as rhinoplasty or breast augmentation, but it is important to separate the two definitions.