Cosmetic surgery as a procedure for correcting congenital, hereditary and accident-related deformities has come a long way since its first known recorded use in India in 800 BC. It found a wider range of application in restoration surgery for battle-scarred veterans of World War I and in recent years, in cosmetic surgery – a procedure popularized by celebrities. As an aesthetic surgical procedure, its value is better expressed in the words of 19th Century American plastic surgeon John Orlando Roe, "how much valuable talent (had) been...buried from human eyes, lost to the world and society by reason of embarrassment...caused by the conscious, or in some cases, unconscious influence of some physical infirmity or deformity or unsightly blemish." Reason enough for everyone by all means, to avail of the services of doctors in this special field, including the most recent clientele - homosexuals. Most of the clientele though, still comes from mainstream society.

True, a blemish is nothing more than trivia, but in more ways than one, a blemish is everything in an environment where perfection is the standard – beauty competitions, star auditions, and even the workplace where promotions may be swayed by an unblemished complexion when all other givens are equal.

Today, cosmetic surgery involves a wide range of surgical and non-surgical procedures, e.g. anti-aging skin treatments, acne treatment, liposuction, rhinoplasty, breast implant and augmentations, to name some. Name it, the plastic doctor has the cure for it. It is one of the fields of specialization in medicine which has seen an increase in demand fueled by women’s vanity. The cosmetics industry now includes several products supporting the maintenance of skin treatments after a cosmetic surgery. It is now one of the largest growing products for beauty treatment. Needless to say, it is a way to improve one’s quality of life by achieving a social status that makes one at par with natural beauties or augment one’s God-given feature. It also extends one’s marketability by appearing younger and beautiful beyond one’s years. Michael Jackson was a prime example of how far it can be brought to cosmetically change a person’s appearance. Unique, as it may seem, cosmetic surgery has also been useful to people whose identities are better kept hidden. Witnesses under a state’s protection program, even criminals and fugitives have been known to undergo cosmetic surgery. Whatever your motivation may be for undergoing a cosmetic procedure, your confidence should be solidly built on the credentials of the doctors, the resources and capability of the hospital, and your knowledge of your own need.