(Photo : humberto chavez from Unsplash)

When we think of plastic surgery, the expectations in our mind typically only go skin deep. While it's true that most cosmetic surgeries help to enhance your body's physical appearance, there can be more to them than just the superficial levels.

When performed in the hands of experienced plastic surgeons, many cosmetic procedures have additional benefits that can help with an assortment of disorders in the body.

Here are four cosmetic surgeries that are not only for aesthetics but can also help your health.

Tummy tuck

A Tummy tuck is a cosmetic surgery that helps treat excess sagging skin in the abdominal region. This is performed by tightening the abdominal wall muscles, returning them to a more appropriate position, and then firming up the surfacing skin before removing the excess.

A tummy tuck can help treat several different health issues. The more commonly attributed solution is to prevent chafing and sores. In some cases of extreme weight loss, excess skin can be so extreme that the folds of the skin press and rub together, trapping sweat, dirt and skin cells between the folds. When this happens, chafing can occur, leading to skin irritations, inflammation, sores, and in some cases, infection.

Other prominent issues that tummy tucks can treat are lower back pain, urinary incontinence, and diastasis recti.

Diastasis recti is a condition that can occur post-weight loss or post-pregnancy, where the stomach muscles stretch, separate, and weaken, creating a visible bulge in the stomach. This can cause digestive issues in the stomach, as well as cause back pain. Some women who have given birth may experience stress urinary incontinence. As a tummy tuck strengthens and restores the muscles in the stomach, the symptoms associated with diastasis recti can also be treated through these means.

Eyelid lift

Blepharoplasty, also known as an eyelid lift, works to treat sagging skin around the eyelids. This can apply to both the upper and lower eyelids, helping to create a younger, more alert, and refreshed appearance.

While the condition is usually just cosmetic, sometimes the upper eyelid can droop so severely that vision can become impaired. This can lead to problems such as difficulty reading, driving, and other everyday tasks.

The lower eyelid can also droop, leading to difficulty achieving proper eye closure when blinking and sleeping. This can result in increased dryness and irritation in the eye and an increase of dirt and debris making their way into the eye.

Blepharoplasty helps treat the issues with drooping eyelids by tightening the muscles under the skin that hold the skin firm. If the treatment is medically needed, it is often covered by health insurance as well.

Breast Reduction

Breasts that are overly large or disproportionate to a person's body frame can come with a lifetime of chronic pain and discomforts. The strain caused by the weight of the breasts can cause intensive back pain, poor posture, and permanent curvature to the spine. It can also make simple activities like bending or exercise difficult.

By getting a breast reduction, patients often report almost immediate relief.

Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty can be performed to help treat a condition known as a deviated septum. The septum is the wall that runs up the length of your nose between the nostrils. When this septum is deviated from birth or by trauma such as breakage, the nasal passageway can become blocked, making it harder to breathe through one or both sides of the nose. This can lead to snoring, increased nosebleeds, allergies, sleep apnea, headaches, and more.

Rhinoplasty can be used to treat the condition, correct the septum's deviation and improve airway flow in the nostrils.