Plastic Surgery

What is Plastic Surgery?

Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty which deals with correcting, repairing and restoring proper function and normal appearance. Rudimentary plastic surgery procedures started being used in ancient times to repair injuries that affected the nose or the ears. Nowadays, plastic surgery is generally associated with cosmetic surgery, but it also involves reconstructive surgery or the surgical management of burns.

What areas of the body does Plastic Surgery treat?

Plastic surgery addresses the ‘surface’ of the body and does not involve the internal organs. Generally, plastic surgery is used to treat the face, the skin, hands, feet, back, breasts and genitalia.

What is Plastic Surgery used for?

Plastic surgery is used both to restore function (reconstructive surgery) and to improve the look (cosmetic or aesthetic surgery).

Reconstructive surgery is generally performed in patients who developed abnormalities or lack organ function due to severe trauma, congenital defects or developmental abnormalities. The main concern of reconstructive surgery is to repair and restore function, but it also restores the look. For instance, in case of facial trauma, the face of the patient should regain both function and normal appearance.  

Cosmetic or aesthetic surgery procedures are used to improve the look without necessarily having to improve the function. Cosmetic surgery corrects facial defects, improves facial appearance and treats the effects of aging. It is also used to reshape different body parts such as the breasts or buttocks or to remove excess fat.

What are the most common Plastic Surgery procedures?

Most common reconstructive surgery procedures involve hand surgery, craniofacial surgery and burn treatment. Hand surgery is an important plastic surgery sub-specialty and it involves treating the hand after severe trauma or in case of congenital defects and malformations. Hand surgery can even reattach an amputated hand. It involves microsurgery procedures such as blood vessels and nerves reconnection or tissue reconstruction.

Craniofacial surgery is another major sub-specialty and it involves reconstructing the face after severe injuries, tumor resection or congenital conditions (such as cleft lip or cleft palate). The surgical treatment of severe burns generally occurs during two separate interventions: one immediately after the incident and another when the wounds heal. The first intervention is concerned with removing extremely damaged and dead tissue, while the second intervention is focused on restoring the look and function of the affected areas of the skin.

Most common cosmetic surgery procedures are concerned with reshaping parts of the face: nose (rhinoplasty), ears (otoplasty), chin or cheek augmentation, or lip enlargement. Mammoplasty is another popular cosmetic surgery procedure and it can be performed as a breast augmentation, breast reduction or breast lift.

Other procedures, such as a facelift, chemical peel or laser skin resurfacing, are meant to remove the signs of aging and restore a youthful look. Cosmetic surgery can also improve the appearance of genitalia (phalloplasty or labiaplasty) or reshape body parts through removing excess fat (liposuction).

Who performs Plastic Surgery?

Generally, plastic surgery is performed by plastic surgeons. Given the complexity of the field, plastic surgeons are specialized in specific sub-specialties such as hand surgery, microsurgery or cosmetic surgery. Depending on the specific procedure, plastic surgery can be performed by other specialists as well. For instance, hand surgery can also be performed by orthopedic surgeons and craniofacial reconstruction can be performed by a CMF specialist.

Complex reconstruction cases are generally performed by teams of surgeons. Procedures involving children are performed by pediatric surgeons.

Disclaimer: This information is intended only as an introduction to this procedure. This information should not be used to determine whether you will have the procedure performed nor does it guarantee results of your elective surgery. Further details regarding surgical standards and procedures should be discussed with your physician.