Dr. McCafferty is a practicing plastic surgeon, and a clinical assistant professor of plastic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Feel free to join in this hourlong Discussion Special Event at any time, but please remember that this is intended as an interactive forum for informational purposes. It isn't intended as counseling, professional advice or a substitute for professional treatment.

Dr. McCafferty, when people are considering cosmetic surgery – and before they even start investigating procedures, and costs, and doctors – what are the questions they should ask themselves?

Cosmetic surgery is appropriate to make a person look and feel better about himself or herself. It won't get them the love lost, or dramatically change their lives, so they shouldn't be doing it for those reasons.

I think these are important questions, because while the surgery is important, the happiness of the patient is the most important. And making sure that people are doing the right thing for the right reason is a big part of that.

The other is people coming in who want liposuction on small areas of their bodies. When you examine them, there's very little fat, but their perception is that they have more fat than they really do.

It's a real psychiatric problem and such patients need to be directed to psychiatrists for that kind of help, rather than surgery.

It's not so easy to separate people who have this condition from people who are just very particular about their appearance. The key really is having one, or two, or three consultations before deciding on surgery. That way you have a chance to get to know them, and sort out the people who are just particular and people who might have this disorder.

I think that the other important point is that many of the plastic surgery procedures can be done in an office surgicenter. But that surgicenter should be credentialed by the American Association of Ambulatory Surgery Center (www.aaasc.org). If the procedure is to be done in an office setting, the setting should be reviewed and safe.

I don't think it's terribly helpful to see pictures of patients. That's something that's always mentioned.

What doctors noticed was that it not only controlled the spasms, but also the wrinkles went away from around the eyes, the forehead and different parts of the face. So the next step was to try Botox on very specific muscles on the face that cause wrinkling.

And we use it now, every day, primarily for wrinkles on the forehead; the wrinkles between the eyebrows that give you that mean, tired look; and also the so-called crow's feet on the outside of the eyes. The FDA in a matter of weeks is about to approve Botox for this particular use. It has already been approved for treatment of these muscle spasms.

There can be problems with turf burns, difficulties with wounds healing. This year, we had to design a better helmet because someone was getting bruised on the forehead. We had to cut and fashion a special padding within his helmet.

And just for the record, we're going to get to the Super Bowl next year.

The cost of most procedures is a fraction of what a new automobile will cost, and it will last a lot longer. I think it's a matter of putting things into perspective. Most procedures cost less than the average vacation, and again, it will last a lot longer.

"Nips and tucks will be preferred over major cosmetic surgery overhauls by aging baby boomers. Minimally invasive procedures that require little or no down time will be sought after by the growing baby boomer population, to decrease the early signs of aging and postpone major surgery a little longer."

What do you see for the near future of cosmetic surgery, whether it's new procedures, or utilization trends, or other changes ahead?

And some of the minimally invasive procedures, such as using endoscopes or forehead lifts, can be done through two tiny scars with a downtime of just under a week. So the trends in our specialty are toward doing more, but less invasively, and speeding recovery. People who are having this done don't have time to hide out for weeks and months. And there's no need to.