It's official - interest in continues to climb as technological advancements make procedures more accessible, more affordable and safer than ever before. Cosmetic surgery is no longer reserved for the wealthy or famous - most cities are inundated with plastic surgery centers offering everything from body contouring procedures like liposuction and breast augmentation to facial rejuvenation procedures, laser hair removal, eyelid surgery, chin and cheek implants, and other innovative enhancement procedures.

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) [] reports that nearly 11.5 million cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed in the U.S. The organization The Aesthetic Society has collected important data on cosmetic procedures since 1997, and their numbers add up to a 444% increase in the number of cosmetic procedures since that time! What were the most popular procedures last year? In the nonsurgical category, BOTOX took the award and liposuction won in the .

Here are a few of the statistics reported in the latest ASAPS report:

· Breast augmentation is up by 9%, and breast lift is up by 23%

· Women had 91% of cosmetic procedures

· The number of procedures performed on men was nearly 1 million

· Surgical procedures made up almost 19% of the total procedures with nonsurgical procedures comprising 81%

· Since 1997, surgical procedures have increased by 119% and nonsurgical procedures by 726%

· The top five surgical procedures were (in descending order): liposuction, breast augmentation, blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), rhinoplasty (nose surgery), and abominoplasty (tummy tuck)

· The top five nonsurgical procedures were: BOTOX, laser hair removal, hyaluronic acid treatments, microdermabrasion, and chemical peels

· The top five procedures for men were: liposuction, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, male breast reduction, and facelift

· 83.4% of breast augmentation procedures were completed with saline implants, and the remaining 16.6% chose silicone

· Patients between age 35 and 50 accounted for the majority of cosmetic procedures at 47% of the total

"It is clear that an increasing number of people are considering cosmetic surgery a viable investment," said respected Orange County cosmetic surgeon Dr. Edward Jonas Domanskis. " The procedures offered today are far more advanced and offer a wider variety of options than the field of cosmetic surgery has ever experienced."

The age group that seems to be affecting cosmetic surgery statistics most is the Baby Boomer generation. Aging Baby Boomers see cosmetic surgery as a real solution that fits comfortably into their lives. With affordable financing plans and quicker recovery times, many cosmetic procedures allow people to get great results with minimal down time.