Cosmetics

When most people think of plastic surgery today, they think of cosmetic operations designed to alter or improve a person’s appearance for superficial reasons. However, the field encompasses far more than that, and has as many practical, necessary applications as it does superficial ones.

Plastic surgery is and always will be closely associated with its many often-unnecessary procedures aimed at keeping patients looking their best. Whether it’s a facelift for an aging woman or liposuction for a seemingly pudgy man, these types of undertakings define the field in most layperson’s mind.

Nonetheless, for a cosmetic surgeon there is far more to the field than working on the appearances of vain or insecure. Because these doctors also work closely with victims of accidents or those who have been affected by serious diseases, the various major branches of the field also have significant practical uses. Likewise, there are also many additional branches of plastic surgery that are important parts of the field.

Burn treatment is a significant component of cosmetic medicine and involves the work done directly following a burn to help reconstruct the affected area on a patient’s body. Once the burn has healed and the resulting scar tissue has developed within the wound, a surgeon often utilizes skin grafting to help place new tissue in the affected area. The implantation looks natural and is able to be infused with the surrounding tissue. This involves removing skin from another, less noticeable area on the body and relocating it to the area of the burn.

Craniofacial work can be completed on both child and adult patients, although work on each is divided into its own group. Pediatric applications often include treating genetic defects such as cleft lip or injuries suffered during infancy or a child’s early years. Adult applications typically revolve around treatment of fractures and other injuries suffered due to accidents from some type of trauma to the affected area. Because children often face complex problems related to birth defects or diseases while in infancy, pediatric applications of this type of medicine form their own branch as a part of cosmetic medicine.

Because the human hand is so intricate and delicate, treatment of injuries and diseases involving it also fall into the field of plastic surgery. Hand treatments include sustained injuries, deformations resulting from diseases or genetic defects and nerve problems of the extremities such as carpal tunnel syndrome. This type of work is also problematic and difficult to perfect because of potential problems surrounding the development of scar tissue within the hand’s complex structure.

Microsurgery is also a significant component of cosmetic medicine. This can involve amputations and the reattachment of tissues completed by transferring the necessary tissues and connecting the appropriate blood vessels at the site of the operation. This can involve superficial components such as breast reconstructions for appearance purposes, but it also most typically includes reconstruction and reattachment following disease or injury.

While it is often associated with the unnecessary, plastic surgery is an important and significant piece of the overall medical field. It has a number of important components that may become necessary in your life or the life of someone you know.