Pride month… not only an opportunity to celebrate diversity, civil liberties and rights for all… but your own sense of pride.

The origins of Gay and Lesbian Pride month can be traced back to a turbulent weekend in New York City in June of 1969 when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, to enforce an alcohol control law that was seldom enforced anywhere else in the city. Bar patrons fought back and thus began the movement that today enjoys Gay and Lesbian Pride events and parades held annually in the month of June all over the country as well as internationally.

Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Angelina Jolie are among the most worshipped celebrities in Hollywood—right down to their individual body parts. Nicole's nose, Catherine's eyes, and Angelina's lips were the most requested facial features, according to a 2005 survey of patients nationwide. And that's just the tip of the scalpel when it comes to the ballooning popularity of cosmetic surgery.

As we celebrate our gay pride this month, I encourage you to celebrate your own individual pride, too. We are born with unique talents and gifts, not to mention our gay flair. Take a moment this month and celebrate you. Enjoy your uniqueness.

If you still find that you have things you'd like to correct or improve, there are so many advancements today in the world of cosmetic surgery. I strongly encourage you to seek remedies that are non-invasive first. Botox is a safe and effective way of reducing prominent wrinkles. Thermage is a new, clinically proven way to treat double chins, fine wrinkles around the eyes, as well as contour your waist and hips. It's completely non-invasive—no surgery, no injections. A single treatment tightens your existing collagen and stimulates new collagen growth. Improvements are both immediately visible and continue up to six months, and, the results can last for years.

Nationwide, women accounted for 82 percent of cosmetic surgery procedures. But in places like Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, the ratio is a little more even. Since my own medical practice has a strong gay following, I tend to see more men than women.

Generally speaking, patients tend to fall into distinct groups. Teenagers typically seek alterations of congenital "abnormalities" such as big noses and ears. Post 30 year old men and women are generally interested in body procedures such as liposuction, tummy tucks, and buttock and breast lifts. And, then, there are the baby boomers seeking rejuvenation—eye- and face-lifts.

The onslaught of TV "makeover" shows has helped to remove the negative stigma from plastic surgery—and in turn, the field itself has been given a face-lift. It used to be that women would only undergo and recover from their cosmetic operations in secret. Now both men and women are even going so far as to throw coming out parties to celebrate their new looks.

I'll leave you with what I always tell my patients. Don't discount what you can do for yourself. Regular exercise and activity is important for maintaining both physical and emotional health. By all means, run, walk, swim, hike, bicycle, lift weights, and even climb mountains. Keep at it, at least one-half hour daily, and make it part of your lifetime self-improvement project. Exercise tones and "optimizes" the body... and the self-discipline involved can help tone and optimize your mind. Moreover, eat a sensible, balanced diet, with lots of veggies and fiber - and avoid "junk foods". If you are fit and feeling fine, you will develop a better self-image, take pride in your appearance, and be more confident in your ability to cope with life's little surprises.

If you wish to transform your life, the principle remains the same - work on yourself first, then let the changes ripple out from you into the outside world. This is as true in the matter of "upgrading" your physical appearance as in all other things.

FACTS & FIGURES

Last year cosmetic surgeons in the U.S. performed more than 8.7 million procedures—a 32 percent increase over the 2003 figure—according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

It's a boom that's been a long time coming. The procedures are better, faster, and safer, and people can get back to their lives much quicker. Patients also enjoy being able to undergo multiple procedures at the same time.

Minimally invasive operations like Botox treatments, collagen injections, chemical peels, and laser hair-removals increased by 41 percent. Surgical procedures like breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, face-lifts, liposuction, and nose reshaping grew by 5 percent.