No, it is not only cosmetic surgery. Although people take both plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery to be synonyms, plastic surgery includes more than the most popular and well known cosmetic surgery. You may say every cosmetic surgery is plastic surgery but every plastic surgery is not a cosmetic surgery. Though the plastic surgery instruments are used in cosmetic surgery, here you are introduced with the broader meaning of plastic surgery.

What is plastic surgery?

The word plastic means sculpting. This sort of surgery is related to reshaping of any body structure or function. It is not restricted to skin only. It is mostly known for skin surgery for two reasons. Its pricy procedures are employed on the affluent people for making them more beautiful. Second, it is applied to correct the burnt skin.

History

The history of plastic surgery dates back to sixth century BC when in India Shushruta, the father of Surgery practiced it. The knowledge from India ‘travelled’ to Arab from India and ultimately to Europe.

Surgery before the development of anesthesia was very restricted for the pain associated with it among many other things. Anesthesia made surgery popular and provided the basis for further development of many complicated procedures. Infections were the other hazard associated with surgery. Use of antibiotics in the first half of twentieth century removed this hazard to take it to new heights.

Skin grafting

In it the tissue can be taken from the body of the patient or from other individual or from an animal. The tissue is grafted at the place of the inured of defected tissue.

Reconstruction Surgery

It is performed to make up any loss due to burn, accident, congenital anomaly etc. Plastic surgery may also be involved with tumor removal, repairing of scars and breast reconstruction.

These are more complicated procedures as microsurgery is also performed. Very minute veins are also reconstructed to provide supplies to the newly grafted tissues. Plastic surgery is performed in sophisticated conditions with quality surgical supplies available.