A distinction can be made between reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Plastic surgery as a whole but especially cosmetic surgery is becoming more widely used in western society. One of the reasons behind this increasingly open attitude towards cosmetic surgical procedures in some countries is because of media attention. In the past few years specialised television programs have emerged that deal with cosmetic surgery issues, with some even documenting the surgical procedures themselves. This is a controversial area and the TV programs involved have to be aware of many issues when producing these programs.

There is without a doubt a growing acceptance of aesthetic surgery among the populations of most western nations. Body contouring surgery and anti-ageing surgery such as facelifts are especially popular. There are many websites out there such as www.beauty-pro.de that give cosmetic surgery acceptability and make it easy for potential patients to gain information about procedures. As well as the Internet there are many makeover TV programs which may not deal with surgery explicitly but give a lot of importance to issues such as health and beauty.

It is important for TV programs, whether directly related to cosmetic surgery or not, to always give a balanced overview of these procedures. They are not without risk and this needs to be explicit in the TV program, along with the many possible benefits of plastic surgery as well. A TV program should be aware of not over normalising these procedures as cosmetic surgery is still after all - surgery - and any decision to undergo a procedure should not be taken lightly.

Even aesthetic plastic surgeons themselves have been known to criticize some of these shows for offering an incomplete view of cosmetic surgical procedures and the issues relating to them. A cosmetic surgery TV show has to make sure that it is in alignment with the mainstream of aesthetic surgery attitudes, such as those at facelift - www.beauty-pro.de - among other places. Most plastic surgery deals with the minor enhancement of a person's appearance while preserving their individual characteristics. Plastic surgery TV shows need to be in step with this reality; they should mention the risks - however small they may be - along with potential benefits, and not focus too much on extreme appearance changes.