Accepting your body as it is, with its flaws and imperfections, is undoubtedly the key to happiness. However, when you are self-conscious about an aspect of your body or face, it might be hard for you to regain your confidence in yourself.

Luckily, there is a range of procedures and treatments that can help you boost your self-image and enable you to live your best life. Here are the top four self-image boosting procedures to consider.

• Breast augmentation: More than 53% of women in the US are unhappy with their bodies – a percentage that rises to around 61% when considering women above the age of 60. A new study also confirms that over 70% of women are dissatisfied with their breasts. 

If this aspect of your body is causing you to doubt your body image and self-confidence, you might consider joining the millions of people that have undergone this procedure and made it one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries in the U.S.

Year after year, the popularity of the breast augmentation procedure rises simply because of its effectiveness, safety, and drastic, confidence boosting results. If dissatisfaction with your breasts has persisted throughout your life, maybe it’s time to consider plastic surgery.

• Liposuction: New studies show how two-thirds of U.S. adults are either obese or overweight. However, our weight can significantly impact our mental and physical well-being, lead to depression and anxiety, and promote a distorted image of ourselves. 

While the key to a healthy weight is plenty of exercise, a healthy lifestyle, and a nutritious diet, liposuction can help you jumpstart your journey towards your ideal weight. And, this minimally invasive procedure might be all it takes to invest in an exercise program. 

While liposuction is not technically a “weight loss” procedure, it can put you within sight of your target body weight and make achieving that weight considerably easier. Liposuction can also deal with certain stubborn pockets of fat that diet and exercise simply can’t seem to improve. 

• Facelift: As the third most popular self-improvement procedure, facelifts are popular not only because they are a minimally invasive, safe procedure, but this surgical treatment might be all you need to shed the appearance of years of stress, aging, pollution, and lifestyle choices.

• Chest reduction: Chest reductions are growing at one of the fastest rates across the U.S. and not just among women. Female breast reduction offers the highest success rate, as it can significantly improve a woman’s quality of life and reduce the pain and discomfort caused by large breasts. 

For men, chest reduction (gynecomastia) procedures can be life-changing. Having male breasts can absolutely tank one’s confidence, while removing them provides the chiseled, flat chest we commonly associate with masculinity. Now that more men approach plastic surgery with a different mindset, almost 20,000 males in 2020 have enjoyed the benefits of a firmer, better-defined torso. And, this can have endless benefits on confidence and social life.

Naturally, practicing self-love and accepting your body for what it is is crucial for happiness. But some self-image-boosting procedures can help you rediscover your natural, youthful beauty.

Audrey A. Klenke, MD, FACS is a board certified plastic surgeon and the owner of Pinnacle Plastic Surgery in Bluffton.