Advances in Plastic Surgery

First, the definition of Plastic Surgery is: Surgical repair of congenital or acquired deformities and contour restoration to improve the appearance and function of tissue defects. The development of this specialized branch of surgery was driven by the need to repair major deformities suffered in the First World War. Through tissue grafting or the use of artificial materials such as silicone, some remarkable restorations have been made possible. Severe burns and the removal of fairly extensive skin cancers leave scars that must be covered with skin grafts; Breast reconstruction after a mastectomy is another application. In addition to correcting a disfigurement, plastic surgery is often needed to restore vital movement and function to the tissues that have been destroyed. It is also done for purely cosmetic purposes, such as improving the shape of the nose, bringing prominent ears closer to the head, or lifting the skin to erase wrinkles. Modern plastic surgeons often employ CT scans to produce computer-generated images that are used to plan or simulate complex reconstructive surgeries.

The earliest descriptions of skin grafts date back to India around 800 BC, where they served to obstruct the facial opening resulting from nose amputations. During the Renaissance, Ambroise Paré developed the art of suturing, leaving records describing both the instruments and the technique used. In the 19th century, new methods of operation were developed, putting an end to previous rudimentary and painful procedures. However, at that time the Catholic Church strongly opposed the advancement of science in general, and specifically opposed the reshaping of the human form. But in the 20th century, when Europe was faced with the seriously mutilated faces of soldiers returning from the fronts of World War I, the imperative to repair them grew, and plastic surgery finally gained a respectable place in the medical profession.

Then came World War II, and once again, plastic surgeons used their skills to help their compatriots. This led to more advances in plastic surgery. Then in the 1950s, plastic surgery was fully integrated into the medical community. In the 1960s, the concept of plastic surgery grew in the consciousness of the American public as more physicians performed plastic surgery procedures. Also, in this decade, silicone began to be used in plastic surgery and began to be part of our culture. Now, in the 1970s, the plastic surgeon became one of the leading medical professions. And in the 1980s, plastic surgery spread across the country. In the 1990s, there were thousands of board certified plastic surgeons and the number continues to grow, even today. There are now thousands of plastic surgeons offering a variety of plastic surgery procedures to patients not only in the United States, but around the world.

Plastic surgery, once only for the very wealthy, has become affordable for almost all Americans. Plastic surgery has really come a long way and continues to advance the complexity of the procedures performed today.

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