Breast Implant Benefits vs. reality

Harl approaches teenage patients with caution.

"I don't do a lot of cosmetic surgery in people that young. ... Unless they have some functional abnormality going on, I'd usually encourage them to wait a little bit. I tend to run a little conservative."

Although ear surgery provides a cosmetic benefit, Harl views procedures like that as reconstructive.

"For psychological reasons, that one has a lot of benefits."

And such benefits can't be overlooked, Harl said. Critics of plastic surgery may not realize the line between cosmetic and reconstructive surgery isn't so distinct, he said.

"So many of these women, you really do change their outlook on life. It's hard to view it as a trivial procedure. ... It has its place."

Zuckerman agrees — up to a point. Safety aside, she's concerned teenagers, or even older woman, don't realize what famous faces go through, including digital alteration.

"We're surrounded by these women with unnatural bodies," Zuckerman said. "Very thin bodies, very large breasts. These bodies don't occur in nature — very rarely. ...

"And then we, the consumer, look at the cover girl and wonder, 'Why don't we look like that?' Well, we're never going to look like that, because even they don't look like that."

Cosmetic Surgery Procedures

Forehead lift $2,797 average fee 1-2 hours 57,771 patients
BotoxƠinjection $376 average fee 30 minutes 2,891,390 patients
Ear surgery $2,535 average fee 2-3 hours 26,612 patients
Eyelid surgery $2,525 average fee 1-3 hours 246,633 patients
Chin augmentation $1,693 average fee 1 hour 16,306 patients
Breast augmentation $3,375 average fee 1-2 hours 254,140 patients
Breast implant removal $2,047 average fee Time not available 45,147 patients
Breast lift $3,857 average fee 1.5-3.5 hours 66,638 patients
Liposuction $2,224 average fee 45 minutes-2 hours 320,022 patients
Buttock lift $3,554 average fee 2 hours 2,411 patients
Nose job $3,188 average fee 1-2 hours 356,554 patients
Facelift $5,283 average fee 2-3 hours 128,667 patients
Cheek implant $2,083 average fee 2 hours 12,112 patients
Collagen $373 average fee Less than 1 hour 576,255 patients
Lip augmentation $1,325 average fee 1 hour 22,667 patients
Upper arm lift $2,809 average fee 2 hours 6,890 patients
Chemical peel $607 average fee 30 minutes-3 hours 995,238 patients
Tummy tuck $4,641 average fee 2-5 hours 101,228 patients
Thigh lift $3,283 average fee 2 hours 5,615 patients

SOURCE: AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLASTIC SURGEONS; AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERY. STATISTICS ARE FOR 2003. DOLLAR AMOUNTS ARE AVERAGE SURGEON FEES ONLY.