Cosmetic surgery comes to Alaska: younger Alaskans opt for in-state surgery.

• Author: Bohi, Heidi
• Position: HEALTH & MEDICINE

Although most people use the words "plastic surgery" and "cosmetic surgery" interchangeably, in fact they are very different procedures. Plastic surgery is also known as reconstructive surgery and involves fixing a body part or facial feature that is abnormal and reconstructing it to appear normal. Often a patient has reconstructive surgery to correct a malformation. Repairing a cleft lip, broken nose or birth defect falls under this definition. Breast augmentation is usually put under the category of cosmetic surgery, but when it comes to breast removal due to breast cancer, this particular procedure is considered reconstructive surgery. Rhinoplasty, or a nose job, is one of the procedures than can be labeled either plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery, depending on the reason for the operation.

Standing naked in front of a full-length mirror, fluorescent lights illuminating every lump, bump, sag and stretch mark, the surgeon snaps "before" pictures in the unforgiving glare of the examination room. During this typical consultation with a patient considering cosmetic surgery, this is their first reality test. For the surgeon, making sure they understand the patient's expectations about the outcome, then deciding whether they can meet them, is the doctor's reality, said Dr. Jana Cole, an Anchorage cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon.

While there are candidates who are idealistic, for the most part, she finds that people are realistic, which is the first step toward being happy with the outcome, she says.

GILDING THE LILY

Mirroring the national trend, every year more and more Alaskans are individually spending thousands of dollars on cosmetic surgery procedures to turn back the hands of time, whether it's with a series of Botox injections or going under the blade for body contouring. This can mean a number of different body-sculpting techniques to reshape almost any part of the body by removing excess fat and skin that are unresponsive to diet and exercise.

Although most people use the words "plastic surgery" and "cosmetic surgery" interchangeably, in fact they are very different procedures. Plastic surgery is also known as reconstructive surgery and involves fixing a body part or facial feature that is abnormal and reconstructing it to appear normal. Often a patient has reconstructive surgery to correct a malformation. Repairing a cleft lip, broken nose or birth defect falls under this definition. Breast augmentation is usually put under the...