Blog

Plastic surgery. Reconstructive Surgery. Cosmetic Surgery. Call it by whatever name, every year millions of lives are being changed for the good by Plastic Surgeons all over the world. Under the realm of reconstructive and corrective surgeries are scores of procedures being conducted the world over that are literally releasing a new lease of life for millions of people who are, say, born with a congenital birth defect. Cleft lip, for instance, left untreated would completely reduce the quality of life to a unbearable low. Burn surgeries and the release of contractures actually mean life and hope for thousands of victims. However, as far as corrective and plastic surgeries for congenital and accident related afflictions are concerned, these are more a story of the greatness of the medical professionals and their drive towards better care and humanity, than a study of the process and its evolution. Let us focus on the journey that Cosmetic Surgery has made over the years.

Why? Understanding the need for cosmetic surgery at all is quite important is seeing the road travelled by the procedures. Why do we need cosmetic surgery? What is the motivation for alteration surgically? Well the answers are as diverse as they come. There is the all important reason of societal acceptance. At every point in history, there is a pressure on people from societal norms. The standards and definition of beauty have varied over the years, and there have been societies that accept or banish people solely based on their compliance of physical attributes with the societal normal. Cosmetic surgery has been an answer to people for correcting the deviation from norm, for thousands of years.

Interestingly the first recorded cosmetic surgery has been from India where Sushrutha has documented nose transplantation, using skin grafts from the cheek, as far back as 600 BCE. Rhinoplasty as it is called in modern times, was first done in India and documented. All of the world has observed and documented the progress made by India in the field of cosmetic surgery. While the term Plastic surgery was coined from the greek word “Plastikos” which literally meant “to mould” and is known to have been coined by Pierre Desault way back in 1798 to label the surgeries done to restore appearance normalcy. As technologies of anesthesia and antisepsis developed the processes started to get more elaborate and complex.

The contemporary advancements in Cosmetic Surgery happened as a direct result of the two World Wars. Surgeons operated upon thousands of scarred and disfigured soldiers, and developed techniques that would herald in the current state of technological development in the realm of Cosmetic Surgery.

Over the years the procedures became totally exhaustive as several avenues opened up. Microdermabrasions, Vein Sclerotherapies (Stripping), Vaginal rejuvenation, penile and breast implants, laser hair removal and hair weaving, hair weaving, chemical peels and so on. These are a mention of few of the procedures, as the list of the scope of procedures is almost getting endless.

Many procedures today are being performed in the doctor’s offices, as the requirement for hospitalisation has almost become non-existent. What appears to be a complicated surgical process is now being performed as an outpatient itself. Training has been done as a speciality, and specialist outlets started to become a reality.

Cosmetic surgery has become tremendously far flung all over the world. The maximum number of plastic and cosmetic surgeons have been from South Korea, and this is an interesting factoid. Newer procedures like genital redesign have become mainstream and more and more people are going in for edgier and highly elective procedures. The ability to alter one’s whole appearance to play positively to the self image has become the name of the game. As the quality standards improve and people get attracted to the changes and enhancements, cosmetic surgery is definitely getting popular and is on the mainstream in most case scenarios, during current times itself.