Plastic surgery is a multi-faceted specialty that combines form, function, technique, and principle. Plastic surgery may encompass any area of the body not only the skin. While the details of various procedures are important, the basic principles allow plastic surgeons to solve unusual problems and apply known procedures to any body part. This broad principle can be applied to a simple scar revision or a complex breast reconstruction.
Plastic surgery is the only field in medicine in which art and science combine. For the aesthetic or cosmetic plastic surgeon, perhaps the predominant factor is the art. Cosmetic plastic is the aspect of surgery in which concentration and interest are focused on the restoration and improvement of forms as well as function. The problems that plastic surgeons encounter may result from aging, congenital defect, trauma, and prior surgical procedure that have a profound effect on human emotion or psychological structure. Aesthetic plastic surgery, though admittedly done on occasion to rehabilitate a particular part of the body, is mainly performed to rehabilitate the entire person. It stands that an improvement in a person’s appearance also improves the person’s self-image. This, in turn, provides a feeling of emotional and physical well-being.
