Plastic surgery used to be mostly for older people looking to turn back the signs of aging.

But as treatments become less invasive, doctors in Madison say they're seeing younger men and women giving it a try.

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Among them is Emily Schuster, 23, who shared her decision to have liposuction with News 3.

Now, almost three months since her surgery, it's a new year -- and a whole new Emily.

For a girl who used to hate wearing jeans, Emily is sure pulling some new things out of the closet.

Three months after her liposuction, she's down to a slender, size 8.

"I can wear hip huggers," she said. "I never have worn them in my life, and love it! I could never get them over my hips before."

But perhaps there is an even more noticeable change in Emily.

"My self-esteem has shot through the roof," she said. "I feel a lot better about myself. Friends noticed the change, so did my family. I just feel better, more confident, and that's everything."

Her doctor said she recovered very quickly.

"She recovered very quickly ... we're very happy with results," said Dr. Karol Gutowski. "She lost about 8 pounds -- a good result for her."

Not everyone gets such good results though, News 3 reported.

Gutowski is surprised about her 8 pounds. As liposuction only aims to contour -- not help someone lose weight. Not for starters, anyway.

"What I like to see is changes in the body," he said. "They still need to make changes in diet, activity. I've seen a few patients, who come back later and do major changes because now they see a difference and want to keep working at it."

Emily has made, and plans to stick with the changes she's made.

"I just enjoy going shopping now in the same section where every other girl is at -- instead of extra-large sizes, which almost shamed me to buy. I want to keep this and feel good about myself," she said. "I'm not going to let this go."

For all the critics, Emily says you can't understand if you've never been there.

Costs

Liposuction costs anywhere from around $2,000 to $6,000.

It depends on where you have the procedure done, how it's done, and how many areas you have worked on.