Cosmetic surgery is part of a larger surgical field, known as plastic surgery. A medical specialty, the operations can be either "cosmetic" or "reconstructive".

It is legal for any doctor, regardless of specialty, to perform "cosmetic surgery", but not "plastic surgery". In several countries, including Australia, many doctors who are not qualified as surgeons also perform cosmetic procedures, so it's always important to check the credentials of anyone who is going to be carving you up!

Cosmetic surgery continues to grain in popularity - the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported that throughout 2006 nearly 11 million cosmetic plastic surgeries were performed in the United States alone.