Just as Savannah’s historic buildings and charming squares need upkeep and the occasional major restoration to keep looking their best, so do thousands of area residents.

Plastic surgeons in town have benefited from the rising tide that has made this unique medical discipline big business.

Plastic surgery originated in World War I to help repair disfigurements and devastating injuries that afflicted soldiers during trench warfare and other forms of combat. By 2011, more than $10 billion was spent on cosmetic surgeries in this nation, with 1.6 million patients undergoing procedures that generally break down along a few specific lines.

On the upper end of the pricing spectrum are full face lifts, including brow lifts and neck lifts — also full-body lifts, which are similar to a tummy tuck done on both the front and back, called a belt lipectomy.

Major liposuction is also in this category, and these procedures, which can cost in the $12,000-$15,000 range, necessitate an overnight stay under nurse supervision so vital signs can be monitored, ice continuously applied, etc.

Less involved and less expensive outpatient procedures included standard liposuction, breast augmentation, breast lifts and rhinoplasty, all of which are more in the $4,000-$8,000 range.

These procedures typically take place early in the morning, with the patient released by noon that day.

To deal with their caseload, Finger and Associates has 16 full-time employees and seven part-timers, which includes staffing for their day spa.