If you're like most Americans, you've felt insecure about the size of your chin. It's not sufficiently pronounced. It doesn't have Greco-Roman definition. Maybe it even looks like a butt. Lucky for you, plastic surgery has an answer — and a surprising number of people have taken advantage of it. Last year, the number of chin implant surgeries rose 71 percent to 20,680.

Yes, chin implants are plastic surgery's "fastest growing trend." And they won't even set you back much: the American Society of Plastic Surgeons says the national average is a reasonable $1,851. That is a small price to pay for the chin of your dreams.

But before you go off and plump that chin, make sure you know what you're in for.

Chin surgery, also known as mentoplasty, usually involves an incision inside the mouth or in the crease under the chin through which an implant made of silicon or another material is inserted in the soft tissue of the chin. The procedure usually takes one to several hours and may be done under local or general anesthesia.

New York plastic surgeon David Hidalgo also has a few warnings you might want to heed. First and foremost, don't go crazy with the implant: "Nothing looks worse than one that is too large." It's not only an aesthetic thing — imagine your new chin getting in the way of daily tasks.

Oh, and if you have a "severely recessed chin," the chin implant isn't going to cut it. They'll have to actually yank that bone forward. But hey, once that's done, maybe you can talk to your doctor about creative chin customization?

[Image via AP]