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What Is Plastic Surgery?

Taken from the Greek word "plastikos", meaning to mold or give form, plastic surgery is the specialty of medicine dedicated to restoring and reshaping the human body. It encompasses both reconstructive surgery, which is performed on abnormal structures of the body caused by birth defects, developmental problems, injuries, infection, tumors or disease; and cosmetic surgery, which is performed to reshape or restore normal structures of the body to improve appearance and self-esteem.

History suggests that the practice of plastic surgery has ancient roots. However, plastic surgery as a defined specialty became fully recognized during World War I. Today, scientific advances in the field allow plastic surgeons to achieve improvements in form and function thought to be impossible 10 years ago.

Cases That Warrant a Plastic Surgeon's Care

Although much depends upon the patient's unique circumstances, there are certain situations that almost always warrant the specialized care that a plastic surgeon can provide. Typically, a plastic surgeon is consulted when a child is born with a defect that affects function and/or normal appearance or when accident, injury, disease or aging causes a physical abnormality. Plastic surgeons also are consulted in hand surgery, microsurgery, and craniofacial and maxillofacial surgery.

Emergency cases, such as facial lacerations, burns, trauma and bite wounds, are also commonly treated by plastic surgeons. A patient who requests a plastic surgeon in the emergency room — rather than allowing the "on-duty" doctor to close a significant wound — is more likely to be satisfied with the end result.

Predicting Surgical Results

A patient's age, skin type, general health, genetic background and the nature of his or her condition can all affect any final result. Patients who smoke may not heal as quickly as non-smoking patients. Patients with sun-damaged skin may not achieve the same degree of improvement as those without sun-damaged skin.

Though there is no way to exactly predict a surgical outcome, the surgeon will examine the known patient variables before surgery begins and can project an estimate of the surgical result. Patients can take comfort in knowing that most of the procedures performed today have been refined over several decades.

In recent years, some plastic surgeons have begun using computer-imaging machines during consultations to show patients an estimate of post-operative appearance. A photograph of the patient is transferred to a computer screen and then altered by the surgeon to approximate the post-operative result. Doctors who use imaging find that computer-generated pictures can enhance doctor-patient communication. It's important for the patient to realize that a computer image may not match reality and represents no guarantee of outcome. No computer can take into account a patient's skin elasticity, bone structure, blood supply and healing ability.

To read the rest of this excellent article on plastic surgery and total patient care, produced by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, please click here: http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZ8PMXOX8C&sub_cat=98
Permission for the use of this article has been granted by Medem, Inc.