Plastic Reconstructive Surgery

Plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery are both essential procedures undertaken to improve the appearance of a person. They both involve lifts, tucks, nips and reshaping; however the exact meaning of each term is dependent on the motivation behind the procedure.

Plastic surgery is associated with procedures and treatments that are based on a person’s voluntary desire to change their appearance, all be it a nose job, facelift, breast enhancement and so on.

On the other hand, plastic reconstructive surgery is also an elective surgical procedure, however differs in one important way. Plastic reconstructive surgery is focused on improving bodily features that may be damaged or abnormal from an accident, trauma or disease, such as broken facial bones from a car crash.

Plastic reconstructive surgery is undertaken to repair abnormalities so they appear and function normally. The line is often blurred between plastic and reconstructive surgery. For example, breast enhancement or reduction surgery is considered a plastic surgical procedure, whereas repairing breasts for breast cancer reasons is considered to be reconstructive surgery. A facelift for superficial purposes is considered plastic surgery, whereas rebuilding the face after it has been damaged from an accident is reconstructive surgery.