A Brief History of Plastic Surgery

The word "plastic" has come to mean "artificial" to people in our society today, but that's not where plastic surgery gets its name. The "plastic" in plastic surgery derives from "plastikos," a Greek word that means "to mold or shape."

Although we tend to think of cosmetic surgery when someone mentions plastic surgery, plastic surgeons have a long history of performing physical reconstruction. Skin grafts, which are a form of plastic surgery, were performed in India as long ago as 800 B.C. By the fourth century A.D., surgeons in Byzantium had developed fairly sophisticated methods of fine suturing to prevent scarring.

More significant reconstruction became part of the plastic surgery universe in the 18th century, when an American surgeon repaired a cleft palate, and in the 19th century the development of general anesthesia for surgery helped make plastic surgery more widely acceptable once people realized they no longer had to be wide awake to experience pain. Surgery in general became more commonplace as antibiotics and an understanding of the importance of modern sanitary measures made all forms of surgery less dangerous.

World War I, which maimed thousands of soldiers, was the crucible in which many plastic surgery specialists were formed. Doctors developed methods for reconstructing ears, noses, jaws and eyes, and compared notes across national boundaries after the war.

New techniques and materials are continually being developed in plastic surgery that can repair an ever-wider range of physical deformities, and many that make cosmetic surgery procedures easier, more comfortable, and more affordable than ever before.

Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of cosmeticsurgery-101.com. Visit Jeanette's site to learn more about the history of plastic surgery.

Plastic Surgery and Your Breasts

Plastic surgery for the female breast is, along with facelifts, probably the highest-profile type of plastic surgery. It is performed not only for aesthetic reasons, but for health reasons as well.

One category of plastic surgery for the breast is mammoplasty (breast augmentation), which usually involves the insertion of saline-filled implants. Mastopexy (breast lift) lifts and reshapes sagging breasts and repositions the nipples to restore symmetry. "Breast revision" is the umbrella name for the various kinds of plastic surgery for the breast.

Mammoplasty is also performed in breast reconstruction, where the plastic surgery can help approximate the appearance of a breast that has been removed during cancer treatment.

Breast reduction is another area of plastic surgery that is not specifically cosmetic. Large breasts can cause back, neck and shoulder pain, as well as headaches, breast pain, poor posture, and other health issues that plastic surgery can help to resolve.

The aesthetic results of various forms of breast revision are generally good. Specific side effects, in addition to the general risks posed by surgery and anesthetic, can include loss of sensation and of the ability to nurse a baby.

For many women, breast size is an issue that affects their self-esteem. But even when size isn't your issue, many women lose tone and symmetry after pregnancy and nursing that plastic surgery can restore. Self-consciousness about one's breasts can also have a negative impact on a woman's sexuality. While in some cases of low self-esteem psychotherapy may be necessary, breast revision surgery has a significant positive impact for many women.

Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of cosmeticsurgery-101.com. Visit Jeanette's site to learn more about plastic surgery and your breasts.

Plastic Surgery and Your Breasts

Plastic surgery for the female breast is, along with facelifts, probably the highest-profile type of plastic surgery. It is performed not only for aesthetic reasons, but for health reasons as well.

One category of plastic surgery for the breast is mammoplasty (breast augmentation), which usually involves the insertion of saline-filled implants. Mastopexy (breast lift) lifts and reshapes sagging breasts and repositions the nipples to restore symmetry. "Breast revision" is the umbrella name for the various kinds of plastic surgery for the breast.

Mammoplasty is also performed in breast reconstruction, where the plastic surgery can help approximate the appearance of a breast that has been removed during cancer treatment.

Breast reduction is another area of plastic surgery that is not specifically cosmetic. Large breasts can cause back, neck and shoulder pain, as well as headaches, breast pain, poor posture, and other health issues that plastic surgery can help to resolve.

The aesthetic results of various forms of breast revision are generally good. Specific side effects, in addition to the general risks posed by surgery and anesthetic, can include loss of sensation and of the ability to nurse a baby.

For many women, breast size is an issue that affects their self-esteem. But even when size isn't your issue, many women lose tone and symmetry after pregnancy and nursing that plastic surgery can restore. Self-consciousness about one's breasts can also have a negative impact on a woman's sexuality. While in some cases of low self-esteem psychotherapy may be necessary, breast revision surgery has a significant positive impact for many women.

Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of cosmeticsurgery-101.com. Visit Jeanette's site to learn more about plastic surgery and your breasts.

Plastic Surgery for a Flatter Tummy

Abdominoplasty is the type of plastic surgery known as the "tummy tuck." It is a major surgical procedure, with often dramatic results.

A tummy tuck flattens the abdomen by not only removing excess fat and skin, but by tightening the muscles that form the abdominal wall. Plastic surgery of this type is particularly useful for women who, after having had several children, have stretched-out abdominal muscles that no longer "bounce back." Patients who have lost a great deal of weight and lost their skin elasticity also benefit. This type of plastic surgery is not recommended for women who intend to have more children, since the muscles that are surgically tightened can once again separate as the child and tummy grow.

Plastic surgery like this isn't an alternative to weight loss. If you intend to lose a great deal of weight, you should wait to consider plastic surgery until you see how much (or little) your abdomen rebounds on its own.

Many of the people who feel they most need a tummy tuck are, unfortunately, not going to get the results they desire from plastic surgery. People who carry most of their weight in their tummies usually have what is called visceral fat. Superficial or "white" fat can be removed by liposuction and during a tummy tuck, but the deepest layer of fat is called the visceral layer, or omentum; it surrounds the organs and its removal comprises serious surgery that is only considered for critical health reasons, not for cosmetic purposes.

Unfortunately, the only way to remove visceral fat is through diet and exercise.

Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of cosmeticsurgery-101.com. Visit Jeanette's site to learn more about plastic surgeries for a flatter tummy.

Computer Imaging: Plastic Surgery's Crystal Ball

If you want a glimpse of the future that plastic surgery could provide for you, it won't require a crystal ball. Plastic surgery practitioners often use computer imaging that can show you what results you might anticipate.

Plastic surgery is often first "performed" on your photography. A picture is taken and scanned into a special computer program. Using a mouse, stylus or pointer, the plastic surgeon alters your photograph to demonstrate the results you could expect from plastic surgery. See what you would look like after a facelift or liposuction. Choose from a selection of noses and let the computer show you how they would look on your face.

Of course, computer images can't promise you actual plastic surgery results. How elastic your skin is, how well you heal, your bone structure, and many other factors, including the plastic surgeon's skill, will dictate the ultimate results.

Before you decide on plastic surgery, you will want to ask the surgeon to show you other images as well. Those are the before-and-after pictures of former patients. Most plastic surgeons maintain a portfolio of pictures of patients who have given permission for their pictures to be shown to other prospective patients. This will help you have realistic expectations of your final results.

You should also ask to see the images of patients throughout the healing process. Especially for facial surgery, the swelling and bruising can be substantial, and it's important that you know what you can expect to look like at various stages after plastic surgery, and how long it will take to entirely heal.

Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of cosmeticsurgery-101.com. Visit Jeanette's site to learn more about computer imaging and plastic surgery.