The third disadvantage is that doctors are encouraged to perform surgery - even on patients for whom an operation is not at all necessary - because the equipment and surgical expertise is available.

Since the procedures are non-invasive, the patient can normally resume most or all of his or her daily activities within a relatively short period of time.

Try to find an expert surgeon who agrees with your views on beauty and will not suggest several operations over time.

X-rays provided the first possibility of looking inside someone's body without cutting them open--a massive medical advance.

However, Dr Cerf said he hoped that it would be possible at a later stage to monitor people without invasive surgery.