Plastic surgery is a specialty that uses surgical techniques to change the appearance and function of a person's body. Some of these operations are called "cosmetic", and others are called "reconstructive".
The word "plastic" derives from the Greek plastikos meaning to mold or to shape; its use here is not connected with the synthetic polymer material known as plastic.
Common reconstructive surgerical procedures are: breast reconstruction for women who have had a mastectomy, cleft lip and palate surgery, contracture surgery for burn survivors (Stress ulcers (Curling's ulcer); one of the complication of severe burns and closing skin and mucosa defects after removal of tumors in the head and neck region.
Plastic surgeons have developed the use of microsurgery to transfer tissue for coverage of a defect when no local tissue is available. Tissue flaps comprised of skin, muscle, bone, fat or a combination, may be removed from the body, moved to another site on the body and reconnected to a blood supply by suturing arteries and veins as small as 1-2 mm in diameter.
There is an overlap between reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. Many of the techniques of cosmetic surgery are utilized in reconstructive surgery to improve cosmesis.
Common procedures
In plastic surgery the transfer of skin tissue (skin grafting) is one of the most common procedures. (Traditionally in surgery “Graft” is a piece of living tissue, organ, etc., transplanted surgically)
Micro Surgery
Extremely fine needles and sutures make it possible to rejoin small blood vessels and other minute structures under an operating microscope.
Cosmetic surgery
Cosmetic surgery is a very popular form of surgery; as an example, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported that in 2006 nearly 11 million cosmetic plastic surgeries were performed in the United States alone.
Within the U.S,. critics of plastic surgery note that it is legal for any doctor, regardless of speciality, to perform "cosmetic surgery", but not "plastic surgery". It is thus important to distinguish the terms "plastic surgery" and "cosmetic surgery": Plastic Surgery is recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties as the subspecialty dedicated to the surgical repair of defects of form or function -- this includes cosmetic (or aesthetic) surgery, as well as reconstructive surgery. The term "cosmetic surgery" however, refers to surgery that is designed to improve cosmetics, or appearance. The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, an organization that qualifies and certifies cosmetic surgeons from a variety of medical backgrounds has received board equivalency status in California, demonstrating that it meets or exceeds the ABMS standards. In several countries including Australia, many doctors who are not qualified as surgeons also perform cosmetic procedures.
