While the notion of plastic surgery tends to conjure up overblown images of reality shows and Beverly Hills, the truth is that cosmetic procedures are part of a wildly popular practice no matter where you are, even in Oklahoma – for women and men both, with procedures for men being more common than you might think.

“(For men), hair replacement is high on the list of cosmetic procedures, and also liposuction,” says Dr. Tim Love of Oklahoma City, a surgeon with 30 years of experience in the cosmetic surgery field.

Why someone would want a cosmetic procedure entirely depends on his or her own goals and desires, and a good plastic surgeon will work closely with patients to craft an ideal treatment plan that results in exactly what they want. They look at a variety of factors, for instance, “When it comes to hair transplants,” says Love, “(what we do) depends on the age, the gender, the motivation and the individual circumstance.”

Over his 30 years, Love has seen rolling advances in the technology behind hair transplant surgery, as well as a steady stream of customers ready to take on his services. The procedure is very adaptable to anyone’s individual needs, from a mild, receding hairline to cases of full-on baldness, and the prices scale to reflect the degree of work needed. Love’s practice, notably, falls on the very affordable end of the spectrum. At a low price of  $3 per individual graft, finding a total cost for your transplant is just a matter of simple math, where a typical procedure involving 1,500 grafts (resulting in up to 4,000 new hairs) comes out to a $4,500 procedure. And while it may seem like a heavy sum up-front, it’s easy to see that a hair transplant is more affordable and satisfying for a patient in the long-term as a high-quality, permanent solution to hair loss.

The numbers from 2011, the most recent available, have been collected and analyzed, and according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), there have been only slight changes in the list of the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures and minimally invasive procedures.

The five most common surgical procedures in the South Central division, which encompasses Oklahoma and seven other states, are breast augmentation (approx. 51,000 procedures in region), nose reshaping/rhinoplasty (approx. 42,600), liposuction (approx. 31,000), eyelid surgery (approx. 24,000) and tummy tucks (approx. 19,000).

The region’s most common minimally invasive procedures include Botox/Dysport, with approximately 800,000 procedures conducted in 2011, followed by soft tissue fillers (approx. 198,000), laser hair removal (approx. 164,000), Sclerotherapy, a treatment commonly used to reduce the appearance of varicose veins, (approx. 130,000) and microdermabrasion (approx. 103,000).

Although, nationally, facelifts supplanted tummy tucks in rising into the top five of procedures for the first time since 2004, those numbers were not reflected in the statistics for the South Central division, where the tummy tuck remains on the list. Cosmetic surgical procedures not in the top five, but which showed great increase in popularity nationally, include chin augmentation (up 71 percent), lip augmentation (up 49 percent), buttock implant (up 43 percent) and buttock lifts (up 38 percent).

Soft tissue fillers were among the fastest growing cosmetic minimally invasive procedures in 2011 nationally, while minimally invasive procedures rising in popularity but not making the top five yet include cellulite treatment (up 21 percent), laser skin resurfacing (up nine percent) and laser treatment of leg veins (also up nine percent).

In 2011, some $10.9 billion was spent on cosmetic procedures in the U.S., up 2.95 percent from the 2010 statistics. The Mountain/Pacific region remains the most enamored of cosmetic procedures, with 3.9 million procedures conducted overall.

The smile is one of the first things many people notice. For many, a face’s most obvious expression of joy is also a subject of worry. Luckily, cosmetic dentists around the area give you the best options to get your teeth looking perfect.

Cosmetic dentistry has become a sort of catch-all term for dentistry that deals with “smile design,” as Tulsa area dentist Dr. Andrew Carletti says. To put it simply, cosmetic dentists are general dentists that have learned cosmetic techniques to offer patients.
“You can’t specialize in cosmetic dentistry,” says Carletti. “It’s not a recognized area of dentistry.”

But that does not mean if your general dentist calls himself a “cosmetic dentist” that he or she is not an experienced professional. It’s just a good idea to make sure you are comfortable with your dentist and see before-and-after photos from previous patients.
“It’s like an analogy to a car repair place,” says Carletti. “Everyone can do a transmission, but sometimes you have to go somewhere that can specialize in transmissions.”

There are a variety of procedures under the umbrella of cosmetic dentistry. The two most common are veneers and whitening procedures.  

Veneers are either porcelain or composite (a synthetic substance used for fillings) coverings that are placed directly over the existing teeth. These can be used to lengthen teeth appearance, give the appearance of bigger teeth and improve smile alignment.
Whitening is probably the most common way to affect a smile, be it through over-the-counter remedies or at a dentist’s office.

“The over-the-counter remedies are great for freshening up a smile,” says Dr. Chris Ward, a dentist with a practice in Owasso. “But they have a limited amount of the whitening solution in them.”

Whitening solutions used in most dentist’s offices are around 25 percent more concentrated than whitening strips bought at the drug store and therefore offer more immediate and lasting effects.

Many dentists offer tray bleaching, where the dentist will create custom trays for teeth with whitening solution to use at home. There are also more intensive methods that take place in a dentist’s office that will have a more immediate affect on teeth’s whiteness.
However, when it comes to teeth whitening, be careful of some homemade recipes and stick to only what a dentist recommends.

“Often, I hear about brushing with baking soda, and I’m very against that,” says Ward. “Just straight baking soda is very abrasive, and it’s a question of you removing tooth structure to get there.”

There are also some more creative ways to go about getting the perfect smile.

“One patient came in with a People magazine that had a picture of Jessica Alba on the cover,” says Carletti. “She said ‘I want my the teeth to look like that.’”

Using Photoshop, Carletti was able to help design the right smile for his patient using the magazine as base.

With new and classic technologies at their disposal, cosmetic dentists have made it even easier to ensure a patient’s smile will meet anyone’s standards for perfection.

The preponderance of procedures such as breast augmentation, and certainly minimally invasive processes like Botox, have helped erase the previous stigma surrounding cosmetic improvements.

However, even today, some increasingly popular cosmetic procedures don’t exactly lend themselves to dinner table talk at many homes. And discrete procedures not readily visible to the eye aren’t just for women.

Laser assisted surgery could likely be the impetus for the increase in popularity of vaginal rejuvenation, or vaginoplasty. Vaginoplasty is a surgical procedure to tighten the vaginal muscles, resulting in improved appearance and size of the vaginal opening. Often women seek the procedure following childbirth, which frequently causes stretched musculature. Age can lead to the same conditions, and many women consider the procedure a way to enhance or renew their sex lives. In the cases of many other women, the procedure is a means to address incontinence. The procedure itself consists of removing excess vaginal tissue and strengthening vaginal muscles. The laser surgical procedure takes an hour or two, and vaginal tissue will be painful afterward. Full healing takes six to eight weeks with checkups from the surgeon, although women can go back to work after just a few days. As of approximately 2010, the national average cost of vaginoplasty ranged from $3,500 to $8,000.

Women aren’t alone in increasingly seeking out sculpting parts of their body unseen to most others. Over time and with the effects of gravity, men’s scrotums can become elongated. The condition can also occur due to a varicocoele (enlarged veins around the testicle) or due to a hydrocoele (fluid around the testicle). The varicocoele should be corrected prior to the scrotal reduction. While primarily a cosmetic issue, some men do have problems with chafing or discomfort in some clothing as a result. A reduction, or “lift,” entails reducing the size of the scrotum while maintaining the correct shape. Generally, the procedure is done on an outpatient basis, takes less than two hours and despite some discomfort over a period of healing, the patient is generally able to return to work in just 4-5 days.

Both of these procedures have gained in popularity in recent years, and while both can address medical and quality of life needs, on many occasions they address strictly aesthetic desires and subsequently lead to enhanced self-esteem and comfort – benefits of cosmetic procedures not to be overlooked.