Many people conjure up a high-profile celebrity in their minds when they first think of plastic surgery. But the overwhelming majority of plastic surgery patients are average people who want to enhance their appearance and their self-esteem. As a matter of fact, in 2014 alone, more than 10 million people had cosmetic procedures, whether surgical or nonsurgical. The majority of people who undergo plastic surgery have realistic expectations of the results they can achieve, and just want to correct areas of their face or body that they are finding hard to change through other means, like diet and exercise or makeup.

Women have always made up the largest group of plastic surgery patients, but the number of men having plastic surgery is fast increasing. Results of a recent study showed a 43 percent increase overall in the number of men having cosmetic procedures over the past five years. And these procedures include both surgical and non-surgical treatments, with a 44 percent increase in facelifts and an 84 percent increase in BOTOX treatments in that time period.

Though many cosmetic procedures are used to combat the effects of aging, such as sagging and wrinkled skin, many younger people are finding plastic surgery a good solution for looking better, not just younger. In fact, more than 60 percent of cosmetic procedures are performed on people who are younger than 65.

They are not the same. The difference is that a plastic surgeon is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and goes on to complete a residency in plastic surgery. A cosmetic surgeon is a doctor who is not board-certified in plastic surgery, but instead has completed some supplemental cosmetic surgery training.