Plastic surgeon

A plastic surgeon is a specialist with medical education who performs operations that restore the shape of an organ or body part.

Correction of defects in a person's appearance - those that appeared during intrauterine development or were acquired in later life - is the field of activity of a special surgical field called plastic and reconstructive surgery. First of all, the number of patients of a plastic surgeon includes people for whom plastic surgery is the only way to get rid of obvious flaws that prevent them from adapting to society and living a normal life.

However, today the vast majority of those who seek plastic surgery clinics (more than 90% of them are women) have psychological problems with their self-esteem and do not always perceive their appearance adequately. In many cases, people (especially public figures) do not want to put up with the inevitable age-related changes and strive to look younger and more attractive.

Depending on the tasks to be solved, this surgical specialization has two directions - restorative (or reconstructive) plastic surgery and aesthetic plastic surgery. And a plastic surgeon works in one of these directions.

Who is a plastic surgeon?

A plastic surgeon is a physician who has extensive knowledge in the field of medicine, but specializes exclusively in the practical implementation of a wide range of different methods of either reconstructive or aesthetic plastic surgery.

Reconstructive plastic surgery techniques are used to eliminate congenital defects that disfigure the appearance and limit any functions, as well as external defects caused by diseases or injuries. And aesthetic plastic surgery has its own techniques, and their goal is to get rid of appearance defects and correct them to improve a person’s self-perception.

It should be noted that the methods of aesthetic plastic surgery, which today have become the main ones in the work of most plastic surgeons around the world, began to develop at the end of the 19th century, after the world's first otoplasty was performed in the USA in 1881 - an operation to correct the auricles in case of protruding ears.

As early as 800 BC, nose and cleft lip surgery were performed in India. So plastic surgery was not born yesterday. Today, this branch of medicine has reached unprecedented heights.

A plastic surgeon is a doctor who must be aware of his responsibility for the patient's appearance.

When should you see a plastic surgeon?

If you have any defects in your appearance that significantly affect your self-esteem: a large nose, an irregular shape of its bridge, a hump on the nose, an irregular shape of the bridge of the nose, asymmetry of the mammary glands, wrinkles and scars.

The above-mentioned congenital deformities are the unconditional reasons for seeking help from plastic surgery. Many indications for seeking help from a plastic surgeon are related to the consequences of various injuries sustained while playing sports, in car accidents, at work or at home.

The desire to correct one or another flaw in appearance - skin folds on the neck and face, a deviated nasal septum, protruding ears, scars, stretch marks, sagging belly, etc. - are also reasons for visiting a plastic surgery clinic.

What tests should you take when visiting a plastic surgeon?

Before the planned and fully agreed with the patient plastic surgery, it will be necessary to pass a general clinical blood test, blood type, Rh factor, HIV test, blood sugar test, hepatitis A, B, C, general urine test, which will provide objective data on the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, hemoglobin level, erythrocytes, leukocytes, reticulocytes and platelets.

In addition, the list of tests that must be taken when visiting a plastic surgeon includes: a general urine test; a test for the Rh factor and blood type; a biochemical blood test for total protein, electrolytes, creatinine, urea; a hemostasiogram (a blood clotting test) is performed.

Blood tests for syphilis (RW), HIV, the presence of the hepatitis B pathogen (HBs Ag) and the hepatitis C pathogen (HCV) are mandatory.

What diagnostic methods does a plastic surgeon use?

Considering that plastic surgery is performed under general anesthesia, electrocardiography (ECG) is prescribed and blood pressure is measured to assess the general condition of patients who have consulted a plastic surgeon.

If necessary, an X-ray, ultrasound examination (US) or computed tomography (CT), ECG, fluorography and laboratory diagnostics of blood and urine are prescribed.

What does a plastic surgeon do?

A plastic surgeon is involved in restoring the shape and function of parts of the human body, such as the nose or chest, abdomen, ears, lips.

What does a plastic surgeon do when a patient comes to see him? First of all, the doctor finds out the reason that forces a person to resort to plastic surgery. Often these reasons do not have serious grounds, and a conscientious plastic surgeon will certainly ask the patient to justify his/her decision. After all, for psychological reasons, some people (with mental deviations) cannot undergo plastic surgery. And for those who do not know the limits in their desire for external transformation, this type of medical services is not recommended.

The plastic surgeon examines the patients and - depending on the nature of the upcoming surgical intervention - prescribes a full medical examination and appropriate preparation for the operation. By the way, before the operation the patient must sign a contract (agreement), which specifies not only all the information about the operation itself, but also a list of medical recommendations that must be followed during the postoperative rehabilitation period.

It should be noted that during the examination of the patient it may be revealed that there are some contraindications for plastic surgery, and then the operation is not performed. For example, this applies to breast augmentation operations - if the ultrasound revealed a pathology of the mammary glands. And among the general medical contraindications to plastic surgery are serious pathologies of the cardiovascular system, high blood pressure, renal failure, purulent skin lesions, diabetes mellitus and oncology.

In addition, some types of aesthetic plastic surgery have age restrictions. For example, surgical correction of the ears can be performed after 9 years, and nose shape - only after 18-20 years. Breast augmentation is also possible after 18 years, but any plastic surgeon knows that changing the shape of the mammary glands and increasing (or decreasing) their size is best done by women who have already given birth and breastfed.

What diseases does a plastic surgeon treat?

A plastic surgeon treats and performs surgical correction of tissue deformation as a result of injury, and at the patient's request, he also performs a facelift, eliminates cellulite, changes the shape of the nose, abdomen or lips.

The question of what diseases a plastic surgeon treats can be attributed exclusively to reconstructive, that is, restorative plastic surgery. Reconstructive plastic surgery can partially or completely correct a congenital anomaly and create anatomical conditions for the normal functioning of the organ in the case of a cleft palate (cleft palate), harelip (cheiloschisis - congenital cleft palate), congenital underdevelopment (microtia) or absence (anotia) of the auricle, or a nasal deformity that makes breathing difficult.

The plastic surgeon treats maxillofacial pathologies during multi-stage correction of the upper lip (cheiloplasty) and correction of the palate (uranoplasty). And otoplasty allows for a complete reconstruction of the auricle by transplanting a graft - a specially processed part of the costal cartilage.

A plastic surgeon can also reduce scars after burns, restore the jaw bone deformed by purulent sinusitis or destroyed by osteomyelitis. Mammoplasty is performed on patients who have lost their breasts due to cancer. Specialized doctors (otolaryngologists, dentists, mammologists, etc.) are involved in the treatment of patients with such problems.

As for aesthetic plastic surgery, according to statistics from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), the most common surgeries performed by plastic surgeons are the removal of excess fatty tissue (liposuction) and correction of the size and shape of the mammary glands (mammoplasty).

In addition, plastic surgeries such as face and neck lifts; chin and cheekbone reshaping; eyelid, eyebrow and lip surgery; volume augmentation of certain body parts using one's own fat deposits (lipofilling) are very often performed. Even the external genitalia of a person are subject to the scalpel of a plastic surgeon.

The latest technologies in plastic surgery - minimally invasive endoscopic and hardware (ultrasonic and laser) - make it possible to perform a whole range of operations to correct appearance without sutures and scars.

Plastic surgeon's advice

Every surgeon has successful and not so successful operations. A mediocre surgeon has a 40% failure rate. Choose not a clinic, but a specific name of a plastic surgeon. Expensive does not always mean good.

When choosing a surgeon, do your research. Check the license, and ask questions during the consultation. Check the surgeon through other hospitals. Inquire about the surgeon's experience. On the Internet, you can find negative reviews from competitors and positive reviews that the clinic has written about itself. It is very important to establish trust between you and the doctor so that you can easily collaborate. Inquire about the surgeon's reputation and the opinions of patients.

When choosing a clinic, focus on its location and cost. Will it satisfy you? Find out what the clinic is proud of.

The license must indicate the name of the clinic, legal address and level of accreditation.

If you go to a clinic abroad, keep in mind that the laws of another country will differ from ours. In addition, you will have to overcome the language barrier.

Learn to analyze and filter the information you receive.

Despite the fact that modern plastic surgery is capable of making adjustments to a person’s appearance, advice from a plastic surgeon will not hurt those who are planning to enlarge their bust, dream of fuller lips, or are thinking about how to turn their upturned nose into a proud Greek profile…

Take a good look in the mirror and think about the fact that Mahatma Gandhi's phrase "If you want to change the world, start with yourself" does not concern a person's appearance, but his inner essence. And so start with improving your human qualities. Yes, it is much more difficult than going for plastic surgery, but the results of internal work on yourself will give a much greater positive effect in terms of increasing self-esteem.

A plastic surgeon can change your appearance. But in addition to possible physical complications after surgery or its results not meeting the patient's expectations, very often there are negative psychological consequences: naive dreams of subsequent improvement in life collide with reality.

So, as most experts believe, before going to a plastic surgeon, you should discuss your problems with a good psychologist. A plastic surgeon will help you always stay beautiful and young, maintain cheerfulness and activity.