Consistent with the Japanese emphasis on subtle surgical results, many plastic surgeons in Japan seem to be especially fond of "petite plastic surgery," another name for minimally or non-invasive cosmetic treatments. One clinic advertises such services as "surgical makeup."

Included are procedures like the suture technique for double eyelid creation, Botox ® injections to slim the jawline, fat injections to plump up the forehead and temple, non-surgical rhinoplasty, a whole variety of commercial fillers injected to modulate facial features, various non-ablative laser and radiofrequency skin treatments, and so on.

The "petite" designation may also suggest that such intervention is trivial and not as risky as "true" surgery, which is not always the case if performed improperly.

While marketed as more affordable, petite plastic surgery can turn out to be quite expensive in the aggregate as skin treatments are most often delivered to multiple areas and need to be repeated on a fairly frequent basis.

Since patient encounters are short and require minimal decision-making, delivering petite "plastic surgical" services has become a lucrative, low-stress, and low-skill means for even non-specialist doctors to provide cosmetic care. Especially during the global economic downturn, such procedures have become heavily promoted in both the East and West.