When most people think of plastic surgery they tend to think of breast augmentation or liposuction or one of the hundreds of procedures that is know so commonly performed it barely raises an eyebrow of interest or scandal any more, even in Hollywood.
However, it does more than just alter the appearance by tweaking the nose (rhinoplasty) or enlarging or even reducing the size of a woman's breast.
Plastic surgery is also a valuable tool for reconstructing a part of the body deformed from a birth defect, illness or injury.
Reconstructive surgery can be appropriate for patients for medical reasons or to correct conditions that interfere with daily living activities.
Patients born with a cleft lip, or cleft pallet for example not only face a life with a visible disfigurement that may also face a life where they are ostracized by their family or culture because of a visible physical defect.
These defects may also be life threatening if patients are unable to access proper medical care and receive the proper care and treatment.
Plastic surgery can save lives by correcting these birth defects, allowing patients to the live normal, healthy lives they were meant to live.
It has also been a valuable asset for cancer survivors who may require breast reconstruction surgery after losing breast tissue to cancer.
Plastic surgery has also played a part in the recovery of skin cancer patients as well.
Patients with skin cancer are often surprised to learn that it can increase their cure rate while at the same time reduce the disfigurement that skin cancer can cause.
Another example of the benefits can be found in patients who suffer from a debilitating illness.
It can also be a valuable asset to restore the full use of hands that are affected by dupuytren's contracture which is a disabling disorder that causes thick scarring tissue to form within the palm and extend to the fingers restricting the hands ability to move and bend properly.
The largest amount of reconstructive plastic surgery work however has been in association with the removal of tumors which can require complex rebuilding of the infected area.
So while various procedures may be well glamorized for its dramatic results with Hollywood starlets and beef cakes- but it should also be glamorized for its life changing abilities for patients who are not just seeking perfection- but normalcy through the reconstructive magic that is plastic surgery at its best.
However, it does more than just alter the appearance by tweaking the nose (rhinoplasty) or enlarging or even reducing the size of a woman's breast.
Plastic surgery is also a valuable tool for reconstructing a part of the body deformed from a birth defect, illness or injury.
Reconstructive surgery can be appropriate for patients for medical reasons or to correct conditions that interfere with daily living activities.
Patients born with a cleft lip, or cleft pallet for example not only face a life with a visible disfigurement that may also face a life where they are ostracized by their family or culture because of a visible physical defect.
These defects may also be life threatening if patients are unable to access proper medical care and receive the proper care and treatment.
Plastic surgery can save lives by correcting these birth defects, allowing patients to the live normal, healthy lives they were meant to live.
It has also been a valuable asset for cancer survivors who may require breast reconstruction surgery after losing breast tissue to cancer.
Plastic surgery has also played a part in the recovery of skin cancer patients as well.
Patients with skin cancer are often surprised to learn that it can increase their cure rate while at the same time reduce the disfigurement that skin cancer can cause.
Another example of the benefits can be found in patients who suffer from a debilitating illness.
It can also be a valuable asset to restore the full use of hands that are affected by dupuytren's contracture which is a disabling disorder that causes thick scarring tissue to form within the palm and extend to the fingers restricting the hands ability to move and bend properly.
The largest amount of reconstructive plastic surgery work however has been in association with the removal of tumors which can require complex rebuilding of the infected area.
So while various procedures may be well glamorized for its dramatic results with Hollywood starlets and beef cakes- but it should also be glamorized for its life changing abilities for patients who are not just seeking perfection- but normalcy through the reconstructive magic that is plastic surgery at its best.