Vanity has always been a plague that has haunted us. We strive to be physically beautiful, whether by self-imposed requirements and regimes or by standards that society deems fit. Everyone, from young children to those from higher age brackets, are aware of this need to find ways to make ourselves feel more beautiful.

It is an unfortunate fact that many of us don't feel beautiful. We can see the imperfections in our bodies and that make us see ourselves as unattractive. There is then the pressure to do something about it. It can even erode our confidence in ourselves.

One prominent way of addressing these vanity problems is cosmetic surgery. This is not to be confused with plastic surgery, which addresses disfigurements. Cosmetic surgery concentrates on maintaining, enhancing and restoring our appearance.

There are many different types of plastic surgery. Each type targets a particular part of the human anatomy and serves a specific function.

One of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures is liposuction or the Suction-Assisted Lipectomy. This is where fat is surgically removed from the body in order to be slimmer. This procedure is one of the oldest in the field.

Another popular procedure is mammoplasty, which targets the chest area of both men and women. Brest augmentation is a mammoplasty procedure which involves the enlargement of the breast through fat grafting or saline and silicone gel prosthetics. Breast reduction, on the other hand, involves the diminution of the breast via the removal of skin and glandular tissue. Breast lift is concerned with reshaping the breast in order to avoid sagginess. Of all these three, breast augmentation is the most popular and all of these procedures are more popular with women.

Another known procedure is rhinoplasty'an operation which reshapes the nose. It is more commonly known as a 'nose job' or 'nose lifts'. Cosmetic eye surgeries have also become all the rage. These procedures usually include eyelid surgeries and eye laser surgeries.

Facelifts are particularly trendy nowadays, especially the procedure called Botox, as it has become readily available in most dermatological clinics. Even the lip has not escaped cosmetic surgery. There have been operations where the lip is augmented to give it a better shape and a fuller and poutier look. Botox and lip augmentation involve injections, which reduce wrinkles in the skin which surrounds the injected area.

It is true that mankind has done everything possible to improve their appearance. Our narcissism knows no bounds. Some are happy, some clamour for more. It is nice to be beautiful, but we must not forget the person we are inside. True beauty is in the heart.