There are many potential cosmetic surgery patients who are dissatisfied with their appearance in some form or other, but have many misgivings about actually enduring a surgical procedure. One cannot blame these individuals for their apprehension – surgeries carry a number of risks, among them infection, excess bleeding and permanent organ and nerve damage. Some of these concerns may prove fatal, and even the safest, most common of invasive procedures have resulted in remote cases in the death of the patient. Another relevant worry is the financial costs of these surgeries, which, being elective, are typically not covered by medical insurance. As such, in order to achieve one’s ideal look, a person may find herself parting with a substantial portion of her life savings or going into debt to finance an operation.

Fortunately, advances in cosmetic enhancement technology have produced a wide variety of products and processes that do not require surgery to improve the way one’s body looks. Though a majority of these non-surgical alternatives provide more of a subtle toning effect, or refinement of imperfections, than a dramatic transformation, the results can still be impressive. Sometimes, too, a little augmentation is really all that the patient needs.

By far, the most popular non-surgical procedure is the use of Botox. A purified derivative of the deadly botulinum toxin, the cosmetic version is injected underneath the surface of wrinkled skin to paralyze the supporting muscles, which effectively smoothens out the treated area. The procedure is itself painless except for the slight sting from the needle, and the effects of a Botox injection last about six months.

Eager to improve the plumpness or suppleness of body parts like the lips and parts of the face, many patients have resorted to one of a number of injectible fillers currently on the market, sold under brand names such as Hylaform, Restylane and Juvederm. These products typically have a base of hyaluronic acid, a chemical whose molecules retain an overwhelming amount of water in proportion to their size. Hyaluronic acid is essential for providing that full, vibrant look of youthful skin, and these filler products restore amounts of the chemical that the body no longer produces or has lost due to aging. These products are either synthetic or derived from plant and animal tissue, and boast little to no allergic reactions because the substance naturally occurs in the body.

Dermabrasion may not be surgical, but it is normally extremely painful, as it involves the scraping off of the upper layers of a person’s skin using a harsh abrasive agent to stimulate new, unblemished skin growth. Local or general anesthesia is used for this procedure. Though a patient may be incapacitated for several days and will have to avoid direct sun exposure for quite some time, wrinkles and other skin blemishes have responded well to this severe treatment. A lesser version of this method, known as microdermabrasion, uses a machine that sprays crystal particles over the skin surface to scrape away dead skin, and then siphons away the removed layers. It is far less painful and bearable without anesthesia, but its effects are relatively minimal.

Laser technology has also improved significantly over the years, allowing specialized laser beam guns to perform a variety of procedures with pinpoint accuracy. Some of these techniques are tattoo removal, permanent destruction of hair follicles, skin resurfacing and tightening and shallow mole removal. Lasers are now replacing conventional instruments and making previously impractical techniques a reality.

The advent of these non-surgical techniques has made physical enhancement and anti-aging accessible to everyone. Today, the faint of heart no longer need to feel excluded from this ongoing beauty revolution.