What is Reconstructive Surgery?

We want to delve deeper into plastic surgery today, What is reconstructive plastic surgery and what are its implications? How is reconstructive surgery different from the extremely popular cosmetic plastic surgery? Will you benefit from reconstructive plastic surgery?

First, cosmetic plastic surgery, also called medical aesthetics, is the field of medicine that involves enhancing the patient’s appearance through surgical and medical techniques. From a layperson’s point of view, it may seem that its focus is only on improving beauty or simply to look better. However, there is more to plastic surgery than wanting to look beautiful and aiming to achieve the perfect body. Now that we know what cosmetic plastic surgery is, let’s look closer at reconstructive plastic surgery.  Because of the new advancements in the field of medicine, there has also been the development of highly complex and efficient reconstructive surgery procedures that:

• According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, a reconstructive surgery procedure is performed on abnormal structures of the body caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, accidents, trauma, infection, tumors, and debilitating diseases.
• Reconstructive surgery procedures are also performed to improve function and sometimes, to restore a body part to its normal appearance. Indeed, plastic surgery today has grown from becoming a field of medicine that focuses purely on cosmetics to a discipline that promotes restoration of form and function as well.
• Some of the most common types of plastic reconstructive surgery procedures include breast reconstruction, laceration repair, scar revision, hand surgery, cleft palate repair, and tissue expansion. Another popular procedure is skin grafting, wherein skin tissue is transferred from a donor to a recipient in need.

So what is all the fuss about reconstructive surgery? Well, it’s good news for everyone, especially those who have undergone a serious accident or those who have survived a life-threatening disease. These patients can now be given the opportunity to try and return to their normal lives by restoring a damaged body part or something that was lost when they were sick. Many procedures are even covered by insurance carriers, make sure to ask yours before proceeding.

A burned hand may be restored to its normal form, a breast that was invaded by a highly metastatic tumor may be removed with aesthetic concerns addressed, and a cleft palate that was present at birth may also be repaired. There are many benefits and the results have been impressive. It is an amazing realization that these benefits are now completely possible to achieve, remembering that in the past, patients with deformities might have been forced to live with their appearances throughout the rest of their lives. Now, all a patient needs is to be a good candidate and a highly experienced plastic and reconstructive surgeon.

If you or someone you know is living with such an issue but are afraid to look into the possibilities of repair because of the social stigma around plastic surgery, then take heart. You can often make private consultations. Also, make sure to look at the surgeons portfolio to get a better idea of what is possible. Not all things can be repaired and it is important to know what to expect as an outcome.