Any surgery that is done to help a physically limiting condition such as a ligament injury, is considered to be non-elective/recommended. These are disorders that clearly reduce quality of life. You can identify a cause. And surgery, depending on the patients’s case, is a known effective treatment.

Surgeries outside of that scope that are mainly for cosmetic reasons, such as blepharoplasty, non-cancer indicated mastectomies, etc. are far more likely to occur due to a patient electing that procedure. The reduction of quality of life caused by not undergoing a cosmetic procedure is far less tangible. The causes are not as clear and therefore something as drastic as surgery is not the immediate recommended treatment. Though it may be eventually recommended it isn’t the first option.

Surgery is often seen as a last resort due to the high risk, even for people of a healthy weight.