Plastic Surgery

Plastic, Cosmetic, and Reconstructive Surgery

Plastic, cosmetic, and reconstructive surgery refers to a variety of operations performed in order to repair or restore body parts to look "normal," or to change a body part to look better. These highly-specialized types of surgery begin with careful preparation of the patient's skin and tissues, followed by precise cutting and suturing techniques and care to minimize scarring. Recent advances in the development of miniaturized instruments, new materials for artificial limbs and body parts, and improved surgical techniques have expanded the range of plastic surgery operations that can be performed.

Although these three types of surgery share some common techniques and approaches, they have somewhat different emphases. Plastic surgery is usually performed to treat birth defects and to remove skin blemishes such as warts, acne scars, or birthmarks. It includes a number of different procedures, such as laser resurfacing, collagen injections, and dermabrasion. Procedures to remove excess fat from the abdomen ("tummy tucks"), to remove acne scars or tattoos, or to reshape the cartilage in children's ears (otoplasty) are all common applications of plastic surgery.

Cosmetic surgery procedures are performed to make the patient look younger or enhance appearance in other ways, and is usually focused on the face. The most common cosmetic procedure for children is correcting a cleft lip or palate. In adults, the most common procedures are remodeling of the nose (rhinoplasty), removal of baggy skin around the eyelids (blepharoplasty), facelifts (rhytidectomy), or changing the size of the breasts (mammoplasty). Although many people still think of cosmetic surgery as only for women, growing numbers of men are choosing to have facelifts and eyelid surgery, as well as hair transplants and "tummy tucks."

Reconstructive surgery is used to reattach body parts severed in combat or accidents, to perform skin grafts after severe burns, or to reconstruct parts of the patient's body that were missing at birth or removed by surgery. Reconstructive surgery is the oldest form of plastic surgery, developed out of the need to treat wounded soldiers in wartime. It may involve the rebuilding of severely fractured bones, as well as the reattachment of an amputated finger or toe, or implanting a prosthesis (an artificial structure used to replace missing limbs, joints or teeth).

Plastic, cosmetic, and reconstructive surgeries have an important psychological component because of the high value placed on appearance in Western society. Many people who are born with visible deformities or who have been disfigured by accidents later in life develop emotional problems related to social rejection. Other people who work in fields such as acting, modeling, the media or politics, find that personal attractiveness is crucial to successful job performance.

Some people have unrealistic expectations of cosmetic surgery and think the surgery will solve all their problems. It's important for anyone considering nonemergency plastic or cosmetic surgery to be realistic about its results. One type of psychiatric disorder, called body dysmorphic disorder, is characterized by an excessive preoccupation with imaginary or minor flaws in appearance. Patients with this disorder frequently seek unnecessary plastic surgery.

Once a patient decides to have plastic, cosmetic or reconstructive surgery, it's important to find a well-qualified surgeon. Since any doctor can call himself or herself a "cosmetic" (or plastic) surgeon