When most of us think of rhinoplasty, we usually think of the celebrities who've publicly admitted to having it. And although nose surgery may be a widely expected phenomenon in Hollywood, the truth is that it's pretty common in lesser-scrutinized parts of society. In fact, rhinoplasty ranks third as the most popular type of plastic surgery in the U.S. today.

Equally interesting is the history of the practice. Rhinoplasty is derived from 'rhinos', the Greek word for nose and 'plastikos', the Greek word for 'to shape' or 'to form.'

As early as 600 BC, Hindu physicians performed a variation of today's rhinoplasty by using shifted cheek tissue to repair nose injuries.

Fast forward to after World War I ... the practice continued on in an effort to repair war injuries.

It wasn't until the 1950s that people turned to nose reconstruction as a form of self-image therapy.

The procedure of rhinoplasty involves the reshaping of specific nose tissues to adjust defects and blemishes or to simply improve breathing. Despite some negative or vain connotations of rhinoplasty, the procedure is performed for both aesthetic and health reasons, with the latter being the most critical of all.

That's because from a health perspective, rhinoplasty attempts to correct the disfigurements that impair regular breathing and proper oxygen intake.

Snoring is an example health problem that the procedure attempts to solve. As a symptom of sleep apnea, snoring is often the result of blockage occurring in either the throat or nose. When snoring is the result of nose blockage, rhinoplasty is an appropriate treatment option that will remove some or all of the cartilage that prevents proper airflow from reaching the lungs.

Whether you're contemplating nose reconstruction for aesthetic or health reasons, you can feel assured that you're not alone. For just nine years ago, over 133,058 men and women underwent a rhinoplastic procedure of some sort without incurring major problems.

Today, that figure is more than likely three times that figure thanks to lower costs (often covered by health insurance for non-cosmetic operations) and newer technologies such as microsurgery and computerized diagnostic imaging.

The availability of these new tools gives surgeons the means to make rhinoplasty a commonplace operation so your chances of having a negative experience with the procedure are very low.

By law, US plastic surgeons must be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (founded in 1937) which is accomplished through extensive education and training.

Licensed physicians must first earn a four-year medical degree and then go on to earn a doctorate in medicine. Three more years in an approved residency program and a two-year residency qualifies doctors to perform plastic surgery after passing a board exam.