Many of us want to appear elegant, graceful, firm and youthful. The shape of our body contributes to the impression we give. Just as facial cosmetic surgery strives for balance and harmony among facial features, so does body sculpting strive for balance and harmony.

Today’s conventions require that the bust be in proportion with the shoulders, hips and waist. The stomach should be flat and the skin smooth and firm. The thighs, hips and ankles should be slim and curvy. Excess in one direction or another may disturb equilibrium.

Body sculpting procedures, including breast surgery, can go a long way to erase these imbalances. The art of reshaping the body begins with the surgeon's vision of the artistic form of the body. An expert surgeon realizes that one area of the body must naturally flow into another to achieve a sculpted, balanced result.

In the past, reshaping may have consisted of simply removing large pockets of fat in one area. The latest approach involves shaping the body and refining its form, considering the body as a whole. Rather than removing only what the patient considers the problem area, the surgeon often removes small amounts of fat from the abdomen, hips, thighs and knees in one surgical procedure to restore balance to the body.

The simple act of seeking to improve body shape creates an awareness that leads patients to treat their bodies better in the future. After a surgical procedure, it is common for patients to diet, resume working out or play a sport to further improve their new shape.