Plastic surgery is
a general term for operative manual and
instrumental treatment which is performed
for functional or aesthetic reasons. The
word 'plastic' derrives from the Greek 'plastikos'
meaning to mould or to shape. It is not
connected with modern plastics.
The
principal areas of plastic surgery include
two broad fields.
-
Reconstructive surgery, including
microsurgery, which focuses on undoing
or masking the destructive effects of
trauma, surgery or disease. Such plastic
surgery may include closing defects by transplantion of tissue from other parts
of the body.
-
Cosmetic (or aesthetic) surgery, which
most is often done to change features
the patient finds unflattering. In a few
cases, however, there may be medical
reasons (for example, breast reduction
when orthopedic problems are present).
The history
of cosmetic surgery spans back to the
ancient world. The Romans were able to
perform simple techniques such as repairing
damaged ears. In the Middle Ages, there were
techniques to restore a severed nose by
attaching the arm to the face and letting a
blood supply form then removing the arm from
the new nose. Nevertheless, it was not until
modern times that its use became
commonplace.
Reconstructive surgical techniques were
developed rapidly in the period after the
First World War when patients with
survivable but disfiguring injuries required
new approaches. The English military
hospitals of the period trained surgeons
from the world over in these new techniques.
These surgeons then returned to the
Americas, the Pacific and to Europe to
propogate their advances. The main advances
were with flap surgery - moving tissue from
one location to another with an intact blood
supply.
Common
cases of reconstructive surgery are breast
reconstruction for women who have had a
mastectomy, facial- and contracture surgery
for burn victims, closing skin- or mucosa
defects after removal of tumors in the head
and neck region.
Sex
reassignment surgery for transsexual people
is another example of reconstructive
surgery.
There is a
definite gray area between reconstructive
and cosmetic surgery. For instance a 'bat
ear' correction is not considered cosmetic
surgery, even though having prominent ears
is not a debilitating or dangerous
condition.
Many people
take a dim view of cosmetic surgery, as they
see it as frivolous. It does, at any rate,
involve some risk (like any operation) and
should therefore not be undertaken lightly.
Within the US, critics of plastic surgery
have noted that it is legal for any doctor
(regardless of speciality) to perform
plastic surgery; a practice which, critics
argue, leads to poorly performed surgery. In
addition, there is increasing concern about
cosmetic surgeries not done in the United
States, especially liposuctions performed at
the Dominican Republic: while that type of
surgery there is considerably cheaper, six
women were reported in 2004 to have returned
to the United States from the Dominican
Republic with an infection after having
liposuctions there, and, in 2001, a Puerto
Rican woman died, in a very widely
publicized case by Puerto Rican newspapers,
after contracting an infection during
liposuction surgery, also in the Dominican
Republic.
Despite
criticism, cosmetic surgery is becoming more
popular as less expensive and better
techniques are being developed. There are
numerous types of cosmetic surgery that can
be performed. The most prevalent are listed
below. Most of these types of surgery are
more commonly known by their "common names."
These are also listed when pertinent.
-
Abdominoplasty
(or "tummy tuck"): reshaping and firming
of the abdomen
-
Blepharoplasty
(or "eyelid surgery"): Reshaping of the
eyelids or the application of permanent
eyeliner, including Asian blepharoplasty
-
Augmentation Mammaplasty
(or "breast enlargement" or "boob job"):
Augmentation of the breasts
-
Chemical peel:
Removal of acne scars and sagging
skin—not technically surgery and can be
performed by a cosmetologist
-
Mastopexy
(or "breast lift"): Raising of sagging
breasts
-
Rhinoplasty
(or "nose job"): Reshaping of the nose
-
Otoplasty
(or ear surgery): Reshaping of the ear
-
Rhytidectomy
(or "face lift"): Removal of wrinkles
and signs of aging from the face
-
Suction-Assisted
Lipectomy (or
liposuction): Removal of fat from
the body
-
Circumcision:
Removal of the foreskin of the penis,
esp. without any diagnosis
-
Chin augmentation:
Augmentation of the chin with an implant
(e.g. silicone) or by sliding
genioplasty of the jawbone.
Addiction
to Cosmetic Surgery
Some people
appear to become addicted to cosmetic
surgery, possibly because of body
dysmorphic disorder. Sufficient amounts
of repeated cosmetic surgery can lead to
irreversible damage to the normal body
structure. (Case in point, Michael Jackson.)
However, due to the high cost of
repeated cosmetic surgery, this disorder is
generally one limited to the wealthy.
