Definition
Plastic surgery is a branch of surgery that deals with shape-changing or restorative interventions on the human body. The reasons for this can be either of an aesthetic nature (classical “cosmetic surgery” or aesthetic surgery) or of a restorative nature (reconstructive surgery, e.g. after accidents or breast reconstruction after breast cancer). Another main branch of plastic surgery is burn surgery, where burn victims are helped in specialized centers.
A final specialty of plastic surgery is hand surgery, which requires interaction with the fields of orthopedics and trauma surgery and deals with injuries, malformations and other diseases of the hand and forearm. Plastic surgery in the narrower sense of the word (so-called aesthetic plastic surgery) also developed in the 20th century as a result of increasingly refined surgical techniques and anti-aging surgery became popular. Thus, at the beginning of the 20th century, the first face lifts, eyelid lifts, lip injections and breast and abdominal wall lifts were performed. Nowadays, plastic surgery and its subspecialties have become an integral part of a maximum-care hospital, and fixed standards and surgical techniques have been established.
Application areas
Plastic surgery is divided into four major pillars, which differ fundamentally in their areas of application. The first pillar, reconstructive plastic surgery creates a restoration of body tissues after tumor operations, accidents or in the case of congenital malformations. Common clinical pictures are, for example, the removal of tumors (e.g. skin cancer or soft tissue tumors) with subsequent defect coverage.
Breast reconstruction after breast removal (mastectomy) for breast cancer is also a frequent indication. Similar plastics are also used after accidents. Also frequent congenital malformations in children such as a cleft lip and palate (so-called “harelip”) or funnel chest are treated by reconstructive plastic surgery.
The second pillar of plastic surgery, burn surgery, can also be considered a sub-branch of reconstructive surgery, as it deals with the treatment of burn victims. The main tasks here include scar correction by means of skin transplantation or special plastics, as well as conservative procedures such as laser therapy or skin abrasion. Thanks to new treatment options such as the cultivation of the patient’s own skin in the laboratory and microsurgical techniques, amputations of the extremities have become largely avoidable today.
The third branch of plastic surgery, hand surgery, deals with the complex functions of the human hand. Due to a multitude of bones, smallest joints, tendons and ligaments, the hand is one of our most complex but also most vulnerable body parts. Hand surgery deals with age-related changes in the tissues of the hand as well as with the consequences of accidents and congenital malformations.
The focus is always on preserving the functionality of the hand as our most important tool, otherwise there is a risk of severe disability in everyday and professional life. The fourth pillar, aesthetic plastic surgery (cosmetic surgery) is the sub-area that many people colloquially refer to as plastic surgery. This is not about restorative techniques (e.g.
breast reconstruction after breast cancer) or functionality (e.g. cleft lip and palate or hand surgery), but purely about the aesthetic, cosmetic result of the operation. There is no separate specialist for cosmetic surgery, nor is the definition of “cosmetic surgery” a protected term. Patients should therefore make sure in any case that the treating physician has a specialist training in the field of “plastic and aesthetic surgery”.
Among the most common treatments are non-operative wrinkle treatment with Botox injections or hyaluronic acid injections. But also surgical operations on the face such as eyelid lifting, nose corrections or the so-called facelift have increased considerably in recent years. Breast operations (mainly breast augmentation or breast lift, but also breast reduction) are also an important sub-area of cosmetic surgery. Just as popular are tightenings of the abdominal wall or thighs or liposuction of the abdomen, flanks or thighs. In recent years, numerous new procedures have been developed, such as labia correction for aesthetic reasons or rejuvenation of the back of the hand.In principle, there are no limits to creativity, since nowadays almost any part of the body can be cosmetically altered.
All articles in this series:
