Many refuse to testify against their abusers to help send the creeps to jail. (More..)

Experts say it’s because the women have low-self esteem and see no future for themselves.

Some plastic surgeons are stepping in to donate to many of these women a new, brighter future if they will only do one thing first – leave the abuser. And stay away from him.

Says Kathy Griffin, spokesperson for Face to Face, an organization started by the American Association of Facial and Plastic Reconstructive Surgeons (AAFPRS):

“..when abused women look in the mirror and no longer see any traces of their abuse, it’s an important step in moving on to a much happier and healthier life.”

You have to admit: who would not be intimidated during a job interview if you had a bashed in nose, broken teeth or other facial scars?

Operating hand-in-glove with the National Council for Domestic Violence, a surgical program known as Face to Face offers certain victims of battering free consultations and plastic surgery.

According to the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, most battering victims have injuries to their face, neck and head.

One such East Coast victim had been struck for 17 years, giving her a “boxer’s nose” along with breathing troubles.

Repeated fist blows also caused the tendons in her lower eyelids to loosen and then droop, giving the 42-year-old woman and mother of two a tired, haggard look.

But a New York City board-certified plastic surgeon used a slice of the woman’s skull bone to rebuild the bridge of her nose.

The surgeon, Andrew Jacono, M.D., also used ear cartilage to reshape the woman’s nasal tip.

Dr. Jacono also tightened and repaired her sagging lower eyelids in a lower blepharoplasty.

The $40,000 surgery did not cost the woman one cent.

Often, battering victims need a lot of surgery on their noses, like the woman depicted. (The injury is also known as a saddle nose deformity.)

Face to Face has about 300 plastic surgeons.

But before any battering victim can have facial surgery, she must show she has been out of the abusive relationship for at least a year.

Making an appearance at the Aesthetic Meeting in Las Vegas was Onur Erol, M.D., Secretary General of the Turkish Society of Plastic Surgeons.

The Aesthetic Meeting is organized and held by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS.)

Plastic surgeon Dr. Erol uses a procedure in nose surgery known as “Turkish Delight.”

The procedure speeds nose operations and makes the procedure less troublesome for patients.

Cartilage transplants – known to surgeons as cartilage grafting — are routinely used in cosmetic and reconstructive nose surgery to build up the framework of the nose.

But Dr. Erol did not like making another surgical opening on the body of the patient for donor tissue because he noted a rise in complications like infections.

Plus, some patients just don’t like the idea. The typical donor sites are ears and the areas between the ribs so the patient is sore in two places after the procedure.

Cartilage grafting makes the operation longer because the surgeon must work with, and sometimes carve, very tiny donor pieces of cartilage.

Dr. Erol decided to use preserved costal cartilage and dice it into small pieces of .5 to 1 millimeter. (A millimeter is the width of the period at the end of this sentence.)

He then wraps the diced cartilage in one layer of Surgicel, a medicated absorbable surgical mesh. The package is then placed under the skin in places where the patient’s nose shows mild to moderate depressions.  It’s also used to augment areas of the nose where too much bone has been removed.

According to Dr. Erol, once the package of diced cartilage is in place inside the nose, the surgeon can mold the implant with his or her fingers to get a certain shape.

Writing in a 2005 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dr. Erol followed 52 patients who had a nose deformity after a first rhinoplasty and 16 patients who suffered traumatic injuries to the nose.

Results?  Following the patients for six months to five years, the surgeon and his colleagues found:

• No major complications
• In five, the nasal depression returned

Dr. Erol writes that he now uses the Turkish Delight technique for all first nose jobs when a nose needs surgical shaping and for his patients who have suffered some traumatic injury to the nose.

But there can be another culprit inside a nose that otherwise looks just fine on the outside.

Often, because of a sports injury, a quirk of nature, allergy, too much cigarette smoke or mold in the environment a structure inside the nose known as the septum becomes twisted or blocked or – in medical terms – deviated.

The septum is a thin wall inside the nose that separates the two nasal passages in which air flows to your lungs as you breathe.

If the septum causes blocking, the nose doesn’t drain properly and you are likely to complain of sinusitis. And that brings us to our point – that nasal surgery could also give you more energy.

One of the chief signs of sinusitis is fatigue.

According to an article in the professional journal, Laryngoscope, chronic fatigue is a common complaint of 14 percent of Americans who have sinusitis.

Chronic fatigue doesn’t just mean you feel a little tired.

Judy Foreman, a health writer with the Boston Globe newspaper, wrote that her sinusitis meant that a case of fatigue would last for weeks.

Judy is not talking feeling a little run down. She means toe-dragging, take-a-nap-at-one-p.m., exhausted-first-thing-in-the-morning fatigue.

According to WebMD, many nose job patients also complained of sinus problems.

But a 45-minute operation, a surgical repair of a deviated septum — known as a septoplasty — can open the airway, allow the sinus to drain and relieve the fatigue.  Moreover, a septoplasty could be part of a rhinoplasty and at least partly covered by insurance.

Patients say having a septoplasty is like getting rid of a ball and chain.

The other problem with that type of fatigue is that many millions of dollars (along with Yen, Pounds and Euros) are spent on over-the-counter remedies to fight what patients think are cases of “sinusitis.”

Actually, it requires an X-ray to diagnose a case of sinusitis. But a plastic surgeon can see with a look up the nose if the septum is deviated.

But if blocked air passages and sinusitis symptoms are your complaint, maybe a nose surgery is in your future. Only a doctor can tell for sure.

View some before and after pictures of nose jobs.

What shape is your nose in?

For 2008, about 10.2 million invasive and non-invasive procedures were performed.

Now, the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) has crunched their own numbers (with a plus or minus error rate of 3.21 percent) to reveal that breast enhancement leads the list of invasive plastic surgeries while Botox is king of the non-surgical procedures.

Here are the top invasive procedures for both men and women in 2008 and the numbers performed:

1. Breast enhancement: 355,671
2. Liposuction:341,144
3. Eyelid surgery: 195,104
4. Rhinoplasty:152,434
5. Tummy tuck: 147,382

About 2.4 million people received Botox injections last year. The non invasive procedures included:

1. Botox Injections: 2,400,000
2. Laser hair removal: 1,280,964
3. Hyaluronic acid injections (Restylane, Juvederm, etc) 1,262,848
4. Chemical peel: 591,808
5. Laser skin resurfacing: 570,880

Other interesting trends include the percentage of women plastic surgery patients (92) versus male patients (8 percent). Racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 20 percent of all cosmetic procedures with Hispanics having eight percent; African-Americans, six percent; Asians, four percent and other non-Caucasians, two percent.

Where patients had surgery also made the list, including:

• In surgeons’ offices: 53 percent
• In freestanding surgical centers: 26 percent
• In hospitals: 19 percent

Based on a survey of fees charged, experts figure Americans ponied up some $12 billion overall. Surgery accounted for $7.2 billion while $4.6 billion was consumed by nonsurgical procedures.

In addition to breast augmentation, the leading surgical procedures for women were:

• Liposuction
• Eyelid surgery
• Tummy tuck
• Breast reduction

The nonsurgical procedures were the same as the very first list above.

One final statistic shows where more patients want to go with rejuvenation surgery.

Since 1997, surgical procedures for women have increased by 104 percent. But non-surgical procedures for the ladies have increased 233 percent.

Since 1997, men have seen a decrease in rejuvenation surgery of 15 percent while their nonsurgical procedures have increased 239 percent.

If you didn’t already know, Cindy holds the record for most cosmetic surgeries in the 2009 Guinness Book of World Records.

Among other procedures, she’s already had:

• Breast augmentation
• Face lift
• Rhinoplasty
• Liposuction
• Cheek implants

CSI: Cindy, we must ask about Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). As you know, these people seek endless plastic surgery.

Cindy: BDD sufferers are normally obsessed with one particular feature they change constantly. And they shun attention, are suicidal recluses and really believe they are ugly. And that ain’t me, Hoss!

CSI: The 2009 Guinness Book says your record is spending $100,000 on more than 50 minor procedures, including 9 full scale operations since 1988. Is that complete?

Cindy: The total is now 13 major procedures under general anesthetic and hundreds of minor procedures. But, looking back with 20-20 hindsight, I should have not done three of them and two were revisions. So I could have been in the same place with eight! I’ve held the record since 2000.

CSI: And the minor procedures?

Cindy: Hundreds! That includes tooth bleaching, filler injections, vein removal, face peels and microdermabrasion repeated over and over during 20 years. If you’re really curious about how a girl from Ohio came to be me, get Living Doll, my autobiography or Image and Cosmetic Surgery Secrets, available at the Cindy Jackson website.

CSI: How do you make a living in London?

Cindy: I have appeared in films. I’m a musician and model and do some writing and television appearances here.

I also do in-person consultations with people who are looking for cosmetic plastic surgery and surgeons. I also offer face and body microdermabrasion and moisturizer products on my website.

CSI: What is your current top goal?

I’m going for a total Brigitte Bardot look. Some think I’m already there!

To see the changes cosmetic plastic surgery can make, just visit my website where you can see my before and after plastic surgery pictures since 1988.

CSI: Thank you, Cindy.

NEXT: Cindy tells how to find bargain beauty and cosmetic rejuvenations treatments during hard times.

A rhinoplasty can change the following nasal features, among others:

• Make your nose bigger or smaller
• Change the shape of the bridge
• Narrow the span of the nostrils
• Relieve breathing problems
• Remove humps and bumps on the nose

However, there’s no hiding the after effects of a surgical rhinoplasty. You’ll be bruised, wear a thick bandage over your nose, have some swelling and should take some time away from your normal schedule for healing.

But there’s another way.

If the corrections you want on your nose are just minor, you can also have a non-surgical nose job with facial fillers like Restylane, Juvederm, Radiesse or Perlane.

Benefits? No recovery or time off for healing needed, little or no pain (anesthetic cream is spread on the skin before starting) and the results show much quicker.

Plus, the cost of a nose job with facial fillers is performed in the surgeon’s office and is priced far lower than a surgical rhinoplasty.

What’s the catch, you ask?

All these fillers eventually dissolve back into the body after about a year, leaving your nose in its uncorrected state.

Conditions on and around your nose that make you a candidate for a non-surgical rhinoplasty include:

• Straightening nasal humps and bumps
• Raising the bridge of a ski jump nose
• Repairing divots, depressions or troughs in the skin of the nose.

Some cosmetic surgeons give patients a mirror and ask them to watch and take part in the process as the doctor works.

Here’s a YouTube segment showing a patient getting facial fillers.

Speaking of which: the results of any facial filler or Botox wrinkle remover are known in plastic surgery as “provider dependent.”

That means it takes a lot of practice with many years experience with injectables to deliver good results. So be sure and ask your surgeon how often he or she has been delivering facial fillers.

When done correctly, the result can be very pleasing. Read more in the New York Times Magazine about how faces look when they are not pulled tight but pushed out and plumped up from the inside.

What would you like to have filled on your face?

But plastic surgery can also enhance a person’s general well-being. Plus, in many cases, health insurance covers the charges.

To be known as a plastic surgeon, a physician must have:

• Two to three years of general surgery training under his or her belt
• Another three to five years of training in plastic surgery

Some even spend yet another year at the side of a Master Surgeon to become expert in a difficult area of plastic surgery like rhinoplasty.

All that training often includes reconstructive surgery like the procedure to recreate normal-looking attractive breasts when a cancer patient has had a mastectomy.

In some places, the plastic surgeon steps in to rebuild breasts while the patient is still on the table after the breast removal procedure.

Many plastic surgeons perform hand surgery due to the delicate and intricate nature of the wrist and hand.

Would you believe a face lift may extend life?

The Mayo clinic once surveyed 250 women who had face lifts in the 1970s and compared their averages ages with similar women who had no face lifts. Results? The face lift group lived an average 10 years longer.

Other health conditions related to cosmetic plastic surgery include:

• Upper eyelid surgery

The surgery to repair drooping upper eyelids can often be covered by insurance if you can show your eyelids are sagging over your eyes to block vision.

• Rhinoplasty

Plastic surgeons often perform a rhinoplasty far inside the nose — known as a septoplasty — to stop chronic sinus woes. (Read more about  nose jobs for sinus relief.)

• Breast reduction

Surgically reducing the size of overly large, pendulous breasts is often performed by plastic surgeons. Insurance may kick in due to back and shoulder pains. In some cases, the weight on the bra straps put notch-like grooves in the woman’s shoulder bones.

Have you ever had surgery? Leave a comment!

The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) took a survey of their members before the 2008 meeting in Melbourne, Australia. The query asked who has the most admired features and what procedures men worldwide are having.

Results?

The lion’s share of male patients worldwide wanted enhancements for their stomachs, noses and eye lids, followed by refinements to their chests, chins and buttocks.

The most frequently admired and requested celebrity features belong to: Brad Pitt, Matthew McConaughey, California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme and soccer star/celebrity David Beckham.

Here are the most requested celebrity body parts:

• Stomach: Brad Pitt and Matthew McConaughey. (Men often have the tummy tuck procedure, too!)
• Nose: Brad Pitt and George Clooney. (Rhinoplasty is the leading cosmetic surgical procedure requested by U.S. men.)
• Eyes: A three-way tie among George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck. (Upper and lower eyelid lifts are the number 2 most common surgical rejuvenation among U.S. men.)
• Chest: Arnold Schwarzenegger got the most votes, followed by Paulo Zulu of Brazil. (Many, many teens and boys have gynecomastia surgery; it is the fourth leading invasive plastic surgery for U.S. men.)
• Chin: Most chin augmentation patients asked to look like Clooney and Pitt.
• Buttocks: Brad Pitt was the out front leader, with the  rear ends of Mel Gibson, Ricky Martin and Paulo Zulu, mentioned frequently, following after. (More men are requesting buttocks augmentation.)
• Lips: Clooney and Pitt again, followed by Antonio Banderas.
• Hair: The most admired locks belong to Tom Cruise, followed by David Beckham.
• Legs: David Beckham took this category, followed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Some plastic surgeons offer calf augmentation.)
• Forehead: Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt tied.

What celebrity male features would you like on your man?

Cindy is totally correct!

After getting access to 2009’s Guinness Book of World Record, we can confirm Cindy Jackson is indeed the current – not former – record holder for the person who has had the most cosmetic plastic surgery procedures.

That record?  Under anesthesia, $100,000 worth of surgery since 1988 with 13 major plastic surgeries, including:

• Face lift
• Rhinoplasty
• Breast augmentation
• Liposuction
• Cheek implants

She has also had several hundred more minor procedures like:

• Filler injections
• Vein removal
• Face peels
• Microdermabrasion, three times weekly for 15 years

The British newspaper we quoted was dead wrong. That was a rookie mistake, quoting a (normally correct) newspaper instead of going straight to the source.

Her entry in the 2009 Guinness Book of World Records was hard to find for obvious reasons. Nobody would buy the book if all their listings were online!

So we went right to the source:  Cindy Jackson (www.cindyjackson.com) who has lived in London for the last 32 years. She’s actually from Ohio.

But we were very, very curious.

We have written for years about an offbeat psychological syndrome, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) that plagues plastic surgeons. Patients who have BDD are never satisfied and you have to admit, somebody with a track record like Cindy’s could be afflicted.

We could not wait to talk to her and e-mailed. She promptly replied with copies of her record listing in the 2009 Guinness book of World Records. Real documentation! Case closed.

But there was the matter of BDD so we asked about it.

One thing lead to another and, with everything on the record, we came away with two long blogs, interviewing Cindy Jackson who is thoroughly charming and extremely knowledgeable about cosmetic plastic surgery. (She’s also a musician, artist, book author, actress and cosmetic surgery coach!)

Given a little time to digest everything, we will soon post at least two more blogs about our chats with Cindy.

The topic?

Budget beauty and cosmetic treatments during hard times.

While the madcap events in the movie unfold like an insane asylum turned loose on mood elevators, (make that strong mood elevators!) the desire for plastic surgery is the driving force that makes the zany characters do what they do.

The foolish character Chad (Brad Pitt) and the 40-something, rapidly aging Linda (Frances McDormand) work at Hardbodies, a gym and health spa in Washington, D.C.

The action starts because Linda is getting older – and is showing it! – so she goes to a plastic surgeon to learn what could be done about getting a younger look.

She comes away from the doctor’s office stunned because the surgeon tells her she needs, not one, but four procedures, the cost of which is completely out of sight for somebody making ten dollars an hour.

The doctor tells Linda she would look better with:

• Rhinoplasty
• Face Lift
• Breast augmentation
• Liposuction

Meanwhile, over at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), long-time spook Osborne (John Malkovich) thinks he is getting even for being passed over for promotions and has written an insider’s account about what really goes on at the CIA.

And guess where the book falls out of his brief case?

Yes, at the gym! And who do you supposed finds it? That’s right, Linda. She then assumes she has found the equivalent of Fort Knox and starts thinking “Next stop: plastic surgery and a new me!”

The rest of the movie is more fun than the proverbial barrel of monkeys, as Brad and Linda try to cash in on the book and chase around Washington bumping into the other cast members – including George Clooney who plays a ladies’ man/CIA agent so convincingly he meets an untimely demise through a mistaken shooting.

If you ever saw the movie, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, you will love Burn After Reading!

Have you ever known anybody who would do anything for cosmetic plastic surgery?