Thanks to recent advances in surgical techniques and equipment, cosmetic surgery is more specialized than ever. You can literally have the fat sucked out of your thighs through liposuction or your breasts enlarged to your idea of perfection with saline or silicone implants within just a few hours.

And cosmetic surgery isn't just a predominately female deal any longer. Men are having all sorts of cosmetic surgical procedures done these days. Everything from nose jobs (rhinoplasty) to face lifts to eye lifts are fair game in the male arena these days.

The technological advances that have made cosmetic surgery easier and less expensive, not to mention a great deal less painful than in the past, do not account for the meteoric rise in the number of people having plastic surgery, nor for the fact that it has now become common for both genders.

This rise is in fact due more to the fact that in American culture there are few things more highly prized than a person's looks. Studies have been done that proves the more attractive a person is the more likely they'll get a job, regardless of how much more skill and experience other people applying for the same job may have.

Images of perfect men and women on television, in print ads, movies, music videos and everywhere else have made people in our culture believe that if they just look a certain way, then everything else in their lives will be fine, even great.

And with famous celebrities touting their cosmetic surgery in front of us daily on television and in movies, it's easy for anyone to believe that if we just looked better, our lives would be perfect.

Now the reality is that a nose job changes just that: the nose. It does nothing to lift a burden of debt or exchange a lackluster love life for the romantic adventure of a lifetime.

Yes, having cosmetic surgical procedures done can give someone a quick boost to their self-esteem, but it won't last as long as the nose job will unless they do some serious positive thinking and inner work along with it. Confidence and self-esteem come from the inside, and changing the outside will only bring temporary relief for those who suffer from deep feelings of inferiority.

So before rushing out to the nearest cosmetic surgeon, anyone considering cosmetic surgery should take a good look at their inside first. If having a cosmetic surgical procedure done will add to their life, great. It's probably a good idea and will enhance their self-esteem and bring them pleasure.

But if a person thinks that any cosmetic surgery procedure will change their life and make their life perfect (or make them instantly successful and eliminate all their problems), they are in for a rude awakening, I'm sorry to say. Unless the necessary inner work is done to match the outer work, a person can actually become even more insecure than before which often leads to deep depression.

Why? Because they'll ultimately be disappointed over the fact they're still pretty much stuck with their same old self. The person in the mirror may look better, but if they haven't taken stock and gotten rid of negative thinking about themselves, they won't really feel better—they'll just have a perfect sexy cleft in their chins or bigger boobs that they didn't have before.

Cosmetic surgery is not something to undertake lightly or to be used as a method for changing your life, but when done to enhance your life and give you a feeling of satisfaction and/or pleasure, then by all means, find a properly licensed cosmetic surgeon.

Ask for their advice and counsel, as well as their credentials and experience in whatever procedure you want to have done. If the fit between your desires and the cosmetic surgeon's expertise is right, by all means, have your cosmetic surgery and enjoy—just don't expect it to change your life!