Chirurgia Plastica

  

Plastic Surgery: The Basics

At its core, plastic surgery is the medical discipline involving the repair or reconstruction of human or animal tissue and bon es. The reasons people do plastic surgery can be as diverse as cosmetic purposes or to repair the body caused by an accident or surgery itself. Whatever the reason; plastic surgery is performed by specialized surgeons trained and skilled in this discipline. Plastic surgery is categorized into different branches, each specializing in a specific area of the body, such as the face, breasts, legs, etc. In fact; cosmetic surgery is also a branch of plastic surgery.

A Brief History of Plastic Surgery

Pinning down where and when plastic or cosmetic surgery started, is difficult. However, we know through historical references and artifacts that ancient Egyptians, Indians, Chinese and Native Americans, practiced some form of plastic surgery. Even in olden times, it was done for different reasons, such as repair the body or to make it look more appealing. In fact, there are written documents in Ancient India, that go back almost 3000 years, which discusses how to perform plastic and cosmetic surgery. It is believed that the ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates, even referenced this book.

Common Plastic Surgery Procedures

Flap: This describes the procedure of repairing the tissue by borrowing from a nearby area around the injury. Therefore, flaps describe an area that is connected to the same area. Flaps will share their own vascularity.

Grafting: Grafts are done when the skin is completely detached from the source area. Usually, it is taken from the thigh. This is generally done when the patient in question has suffered an injury or underwent chirurgia plastica.

Plants: The name says it all, and it involves implanting materials, typically for cosmetic purposes. This could be breast implants, calves, and implants in the cheek bone area.