Plastic Surgery Definition

Describing What Plastic Surgery Is About

What do you think of plastic surgery when you hear the word? Does it bring to mind Hollywood stars who want to delay the signs of aging? Do you think people who would like to alter their stomachs, breasts, or other body parts just follow what they see on television?

Plastic surgery images such as those shown here are familiar, but what about the little boy who had to have his chin rebuilt after being bitten by a dog? Isn’t the young woman whose laser lightened the birthmark on her forehead also a great example?

How Does Plastic Surgery Work?

Plastic surgery is often viewed as artificial because the meaning of the word plastic is considered a misunderstanding. Plastikos Originally is an ancient Greek word that means to mold or to form. But the point is that although this procedure is labeled as “plastic,” it does not necessarily aim to produce a fake face.

An important aspect of plastic surgery is the improvement of a person’s appearance and the reconstruction of the body and facial tissue defects such as those caused by illness, trauma, or congenital disabilities.

As well as restoring and improving function, plastic surgery also enhances appearance. Surgical treatments can be performed in almost any part of the body, with the exception of the central nervous system, including skin cancer, scars, burns, birthmarks, and tattoo removal, maxillofacial (the facial skeleton), congenital anomalies such as deformed ears, cleft palate, and cleft lip.

Doctors Who Specialize in Plastic Surgery

When choosing a doctor for plastic surgery, you should find one who has been board-certified by the Board of Plastic Surgery. Plastic surgeons who are board-certified have graduated from an accredited medical school and have completed at least five years of graduate medical education. General surgical education usually includes three years, and plastic surgery education usually consists of two years.

To become board-certified in plastic surgery, the surgeon must also practice the specialty for two years and pass an in-depth written and oral exam. The Board of Plastic Surgery must renew plastic surgery board certification every ten years to ensure ongoing competence.

Surgery for Reconstructive Purposes

The purpose of reconstructive surgery is to improve abnormal body structures. Congenital disabilities like cleft lips, ear deformities, and palates, traumatic injuries like burns, dog bites, or the aftermath of cancer treatments like reconstructing a woman’s breast following a mastectomy are some reasons to undergo reconstructive surgery.

Surgery of this kind, as well as improving function, can improve the appearance.

The Cosmetic (Aesthetic) Field of Plastic Surgery

In general, cosmetic surgery works to improve the appearance of the body’s otherwise normal structures by repairing or reshaping them.

The objective of cosmetic (also known as aesthetic) procedures is to change a body area that a person does not like. This technique is commonly used to enhance or decrease breast sizes like augmentation mammoplasty, reduction mammoplasty, nose reshaping (rhinoplasty), and liposuction, which removes fat from specific spots on the body. Several cosmetic procedures aren’t even surgical in the traditional sense of the word – for example, no cutting or stitching is necessary. Using lasers to eliminate unwanted hair and sanding the skin to remove severe scarring are just a few examples of such treatments.

What Are the Reasons Teens Get Plastic Surgery?

The majority of teens, of course, do not. There are, however, those who do. Teenagers use plastic surgery primarily for peer acceptance and fitting in. Accordingly, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) indicates that teens are different from adults regarding reasons for getting plastic surgery. For adults, plastic surgery is frequently perceived as a way to distinguish themselves from others.

According to the ASPS, in 2013, more than 200,000 individuals 19 years and younger underwent significant or minor plastic surgical procedures.

The purpose of plastic surgery is to either correct a physical defect or alter an area of the body that feels uncomfortable. Men with excess breast tissue called gynecomastia who wish to have reduction surgery may be eligible for this procedure. To reduce the appearance of a birthmark, a woman or man may get laser treatment as a helpful decision.

Some people want cosmetic changes because of dissatisfaction with how they look. Cosmetic procedures can help teens feel more comfortable with their appearances, such as otoplasty (the pinning back of protruding ears) and dermabrasion (a treatment that smooths and camouflages severe acne scars).

Teenagers typically undergo nose reshaping, ear surgery, acne treatment, and breast reduction as relatively standard procedures.

Would Plastic Surgery Be a Good Choice?

Reconstructive surgery aids in repairing severe defects or problems. However, what about cosmetic surgery just to gain a different appearance? Does this make sense for teenagers? All surgeries have their proper and improper reasons.

You are unlikely to change your life with cosmetic surgery. Many board-certified plastic surgeons spend a lot of time interviewing teens about their intentions to have plastic surgery to determine whether they will be good candidates.

For teens to have surgery, their doctors need to know they are emotionally mature enough to handle it and that they are making the right decision. We offer these free consultations if you need to talk with an expert. Contact CarefulTrip, and we are here to help you.

A lot of plastic surgery procedures involve surgery alone. They come with serious risks, including anesthesia, wound healing, and other complications. Patients must understand and handle the stress of surgery since doctors who perform these procedures rely on them.

Occasionally, doctors won’t perform specific procedures (like rhinoplasty) until the teen has graduated from high school and will no longer be growing. This means that girls should be about 15 or 16 years old for rhinoplasty, and boys should be about a year of age older.

The age at which a girl can undergo breast augmentation for cosmetic reasons is usually 18 or older because saline implants are exclusively approved for women over 18 years old. However, a plastic surgeon may need to become involved earlier when the breasts are significantly different or one breast hasn’t grown at all.

Important Considerations

The following considerations should be made if you are thinking about getting plastic surgery:

It is almost universal for teens (and most adults) to feel self-conscious about their bodies. Most people would like something to be changed in their lives. Over time, most of their self-consciousness dissipates. When considering plastic surgery, ask yourself if you need it for yourself or do it at another’s beauty standards.

Teenagers’ bodies continue to change throughout their lives. Parts of the body that might appear too large or too small now can grow into a more proportionate size as time goes on. It is not uncommon for a big nose to appear to be about the right size when the rest of the face catches up to it during growth.

A person’s appearance can be dramatically improved without surgery by controlling weight and exercising regularly. There is never a good reason to first choose plastic surgery to correct things like weight loss that one can fix nonsurgically.

A gastric bypass or liposuction can represent an attractive alternative to diet and exercise. However, the risks associated with both of these procedures far outweigh the benefits, so they should only be used for extreme cases when otherwise all other options have failed.

Often, people’s emotions have a great deal to do with how they see themselves. If you are depressed, highly critical, or have a distorted view of who you are, you may believe that changing how you look can solve your problems. But that won’t work for you. The best course of action for resolving emotional issues is to seek the help of a therapist.

Physicians are not usually willing to perform plastic surgery on teens who are depressed or suffer from other mental health problems unless they are treated first.

What Are the Steps?

Ask your close people in your life about plastic surgery if you’re thinking of it. After you have decided to proceed, you should meet with a plastic surgeon who can discuss what to expect during, before, and after the procedure and any possible downsides or risks. A procedure is likely to cause some pain afterward, and temporary swelling or bruising may make you appear less than your usual self for a while.

To know how fast your recovery will be, you should investigate what’s involved in your specific surgery and whether it’s reconstructive or cosmetic. In order to determine whether your surgery is a reconstructive or cosmetic procedure, you’ll want to do your research and analyze what you’ll get out of the procedure. Choosing a doctor who has been certified is a wise choice.

Aspects such as cost may also come into play. It is not uncommon for plastic surgery procedures to be costly. While health insurance typically covers many reconstructive procedures, most cosmetic procedures must be covered by the patient.

Instances like breast enlargement are often considered purely cosmetic procedures, so insurance rarely covers the cost. Some health insurance may find breast reduction surgery appealing to their insurance plans because many girls experience physical discomfort and even pain from large breasts.

The decision to undergo plastic surgery should not be taken lightly. When considering plastic surgery, learn everything about the procedure you are planning and talk to your doctors. Having the facts will help you decide whether or not to undergo the process.

If you have been seeking fresh information about plastic surgery, it is time to talk with an expert to get some consultation. The good news is that you can simply call CarefulTrip experts and have your questions answered.