By definition,plastic surgery means any procedure that involves the reconstruction or modification of the appearance or shape of a body part.
The term comes from the Greek language – “plastikos”, which means modeling or changing the shape, marking the essence of this surgical specialty: sculpture, modeling, reconstruction.
In general, the surgical techniques used can be grouped into two broad categories according to the purpose pursued:
- plastic surgery
- reconstructive operations
Cosmetic surgery is a highly specialized surgery, which addresses both women and men. The need for corrective surgery is common and, most often, morphologically justified. Aesthetic interventions require the surgeon not only medical knowledge but also a particular understanding of the patient’s personality, because behind this request is the term “beauty”. The doctor must understand what the patient is looking for and know what he can offer, at the same time to teach the patient to look at themselves with different eyes, to appreciate their natural beauty, and especially, not to subordinate perspectives exclusively to the physical aspect. Communication and dialogue bring the plastic surgeon closer to his patient, both medically and humanly. Surgical correction, when well indicated,
Reconstructive surgery is challenging because it attempts to rebuild a damaged or absent part of the body or function. The techniques used have different complexities and try to reconstruct the natural, using artificial methods.
The advantages and disadvantages of using one or the other technique will be discussed with the plastic surgeon at preoperative consultations, and the success of the result will depend on the correctness of the technique used, the doctor’s experience, the quality of materials used, and the individual characteristics of the patient.
If you want to learn more, refer to K.Zakhary, a renowned cosmetic plastic surgeon.
