Before you sashay over to your plastic surgeon’s office and order your procedures off the menu as if you were ordering from your favorite restaurant, make sure you are approaching plastic surgery in a healthy way. While you should not have to pretend that beauty isn’t important, you should also realize that beauty isn’t more important than everything else. It’s one thing to fix an imperfection that has always bothered you; it’s quite another to make plastic surgery your new hobby or to expect it to change your life. If you have a strong self-image and just want to make an improvement or correct a defect or flaw, you have plenty of options.

Facelift

If age got the better of your face and neck and you have sagging, creases, jowls, loose skin and wrinkles, you might want a facelift to correct these problems. A facelift can give you a more youthful look and improve your facial tone and the muscles beneath. The surgeon makes an incision so that he can tighten the tissue and remove excess skin. It takes two to four weeks for the swelling and bruising to subside.

Eyelid Surgery

If you have bags under your eyes or sagging skin that creates folds over your upper eyelids, you might want eyelid surgery. The surgeon makes an incision on the eyelid and just below the lash line to remove fatty tissue. It takes five to 10 days for the bruising to subside and two to four weeks for the swelling to go away.

Nose Job

To improve the shape of your nose, you might want a nose job, also called rhinoplasty. A nose job can make your nose smaller, thinner, remove any bumps, fix an upturned or hooked nose and reduce the size of the nostrils. It takes about six to eight weeks following surgery to see a change in some cases, whereas you might see some changes right away, such as removing a bump. Your nose continues to refine for six months to a year.

Brow Lift

A brow lift is for the eyebrow and forehead area and decreases the creases on your forehead and between your eyes. A brow lift can also raise brows that are hooding over the eyelid. Swelling should go down in two to four weeks.

Breast Augmentation

Breast augmentation makes your breasts bigger and fuller by using implants. The surgeon makes incisions in your underarm or around your areola and places implants beneath the chest wall muscle or behind breast tissue. You must get an annual examination by your surgeon to determine if and/or when your implants need replacing. Implants do not last forever.

Implants and Fillers

To improve the contour of your face, you might want an implant in your chin, cheek, jaw or nasal area. You can also get an injectable filler to reduce lines and creases or plump lips. Swelling with a facial implant lasts about two to four weeks. Swelling after a fat injection lasts two to five days. Injectable fillers are not permanent, lasting anywhere from a few months to several years.

Tummy Tuck and Liposuction

If you want a flatter stomach, you might want to get a tummy tuck. Your surgeon removes fat in your abdomen and tightens the area after making an incision between your navel and your pubic hairline. Your swelling should subside in two to four weeks. Liposuction removes excess fat from thighs, abdomen, butt, hips, upper arms, inner knee, back, chest area, neck, chin, cheeks, calves or ankles by surgical suctioning. Bruising should go away in two to four weeks, and it could take two to six months to see the final results.