Surgeons and other physicians in Spain claim they have performed a complete facial transplant on a man who suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The 24-hour operation replaced the patient’s cheekbones, facial muscles, lips, jaw and other structures.

“This is the first full face transplant performed worldwide, as the 10 operations performed previously had been only partial,” said a statement released by Vall d’Hebron University Hospital. If so, the operation would be more extensive than the face transplant performed at the Cleveland Clinic two years ago.

Non-surgical treatments increased slightly last year while surgeries like abdominoplasty, liposuction or breast reduction decreased by 17 percent.  Like most markets in the United States, cosmetic surgery was affected by the economic recession.

The data comes the ASAPS annual survey, in which 928 physicians from different specialties responded so industry leaders could better interpret emerging trends in cosmetic plastic surgery.

For the second year in a row, breast augmentation was the most frequently performed cosmetic surgery, with 311,957 estimated procedures nationwide. Doctors have suggested several reasons for the continued success of breast augmentation:

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The latest news says everybody is looking for deals on cosmetic procedures, from scary and illegal “do-it-yourselfers” to smart people who simply want their treatments to be cost-effective and rewarding.

However, safety should always be number one priority – another lesson in the news that seems to repeat itself.

Links!

Patients are learning to prioritize their treatments, while surgeons are offering financing and even money back guarantees, says the LA Times.

Minimally invasive procedures are way up, not only because they’re priced lower, but because some of them are just plain effective. Who’s getting these low-cost cosmetic surgery procedures?

People in North Texas are doing scary things to save money on cosmetics. Some are buying generic injectables and administering them at home with instruction via youtube. DIY Plastic Surgery? No thanks.

While the rest of the world is pinching pennies, celebrities are getting ten cosmetic surgery procedures in one day.

What part of your lifestyle do you think contributes the most to your appearance?  Why do you go to such great lengths to look good?  Is there a particular area of your body that you believe is most important?

These are the sort of questions asked by researchers during the Beauty for Life survey, a collaborative effort facilitated by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.  ASAPS President Renato Saltz says the survey was intended to help physicians “understand what patients are most concerned about at different stages of their lives.”

Researchers divided the respondents into separate age groups to determine how each generation perceived physical appearance of the self and physical appearance of ones partner.

Respondents in their 20s, 30s, and 40s indicated that a “fit, well proportioned body” was what they found most appealing in another person.  But when it came to their own physical characteristics, the same group was most concerned about their own faces.  The abdomen and hips were said to be areas of significant concern (especially in the 30s), but across the board, patients said they were most conscious of their facial appearance.

Reasons given for maintaining an attractive physical appearance included the following:

1. Boost self confidence
2. Make friends
3. Attract partners
4. Increase job prospects

In all age groups, cosmetic procedures ranked fairly high, alongside diet, exercise, and skin care.  Through the link below you can easily view the results (in a pdf file) of the Beauty for Life survey.

• http://www.surgery.org/private/download/BFLUserSurvey.pdf