A plastic surgeon is a specialist with medical education, doing operations that restore the shape of an organ or body part.
Correction of defects in the appearance of a person - that appeared in the process of intrauterine development or acquired in later life - is the sphere of activity of a special surgical area, called plastic and reconstructive surgery. First and foremost, the number of plastic surgeon patients includes people for whom plastic surgery is the only way to get rid of obvious flaws that prevent you from adapting in society and live normally.
However, today the majority of those who turn to plastic surgery clinics (more than 90% of them are women) have psychological problems with personal self-esteem and do not always adequately perceive their appearance. In many cases, people (especially public ones) do not want to put up with the inevitable age changes and tend to look younger and more attractive.
Depending on the tasks to be performed, this surgical specialization has two directions - reconstructive (or reconstructive) plastic surgery and aesthetic plastic. And the plastic surgeon works in one of these directions.
Who is a plastic surgeon?
A plastic surgeon is a doctor who has extensive knowledge in the field of medicine, but specializes exclusively in the practical implementation of a wide range of different techniques, either restorative or aesthetic plastics.
The methods of reconstructive plastic surgery are used to eliminate congenital deficiencies, disfiguring appearance and restricting any functions, as well as external defects caused by diseases or traumas. And aesthetic plastic surgery - their own methods, and their goal - getting rid of the lack of appearance and its adjustment to improve the self-perception of man.
It should be noted that the methods of aesthetic plastics, which today became the main work of most plastic surgeons around the world, began to develop at the end of the XIX century, after the first in the world otoplasty was performed in the USA in 1881 - surgery to correct the auricles with lop-ears.
As far back as 800 BC. In India, they corrected the nose and "hare lip". So plastic surgery was not born yesterday. Today, this direction of medicine has reached unprecedented heights.
A plastic surgeon is a doctor who must be aware of his responsibility for the appearance of the patient.
When should I go to a plastic surgeon?
If you have defects in appearance that significantly affect your self-esteem: a large nose, an irregular shape of its back, a hump in the nose, an irregular shape of the nose, asymmetry of the mammary glands, wrinkles and scars.
Unconditional reasons for resorting to plastic surgery are the above listed congenital malformations. Many indications when one should go to a plastic surgeon are related to the consequences of various injuries sustained in sports, in car accidents, at work or at home.
The desire to correct this or that defect of appearance - skin folds on the neck and face, curvature of the nasal septum, protruding ears, scars, scars, stretch marks (striae), loose stomach, etc. - are also an occasion for a visit to the clinic of plastic surgery.
What tests should I take when I go to a plastic surgeon?
Before the planned and completely coordinated with the patient plastic surgery, you will need to pass a general clinical blood test, blood group, Rh factor, HIV test, blood sugar test, hepatitis A, B, C, general urine analysis. Which will give objective data on the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation, the level of hemoglobin, erythrocytes, leukocytes, reticulocytes and platelets.
In addition, the list of tests that must be submitted when referring to a plastic surgeon include: a general analysis of urine; analysis on the Rh factor and blood group; biochemical analysis of blood for total protein, electrolytes, creatinine, urea; a haemostasiogram is performed (examination of blood for clotting).
A blood test for syphilis (RW), HIV, for the presence of hepatitis B causative agent (HBs Ag) and causative agent of hepatitis C (HCV) is mandatory.
What diagnostic methods does the plastic surgeon use?
Given that the plastic surgery is performed under general anesthesia, electrocardiography (ECG) is assigned to assess the general condition of patients who have turned to a plastic surgeon and blood pressure is measured.
If necessary, X-rays, ultrasound (ultrasound) or computed tomography (CT), ECG, fluorography and laboratory diagnostics of blood and urine are prescribed.
What does a plastic surgeon do?
The plastic surgeon is engaged in restoring the shape and function of parts of the human body, for example, the nose or chest, abdomen, ears, lips.
What does a plastic surgeon do when addressing a patient? The first thing the doctor finds out is the reason forcing a person to resort to plastic. Often, these reasons do not have serious reasons, and a conscientious plastic surgeon will certainly ask the patient / patient to motivate his decision. After all, according to psychological indicators, some people (with deviations of the psyche) can not do plastic surgery. And those who are not aware of the measures in their quest for external transformation, this type of medical services is not recommended.
A plastic surgeon examines patients and, depending on the nature of the upcoming surgical procedure, 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 indicates not only all information about the operation itself, but also a list of medical recommendations that are mandatory for implementation during the postoperative rehabilitation.
It should be noted that during the examination of the patient it can be found out that there are some contraindications for carrying out the plastic surgery, and then the operation is not performed. For example, this applies to breast augmentation operations - if ultrasound has been diagnosed with mammary gland pathology. And among the general medical contraindications to plastic surgery are serious cardiovascular pathologies, high blood pressure, kidney failure, skin lesions of purulent nature, diabetes and oncology.
In addition, some types of aesthetic plastics have age limits. For example, surgical correction of the ears can be performed after 9 years, and the shape of the nose - only after 18-20 years. Breast enlargement is also possible after 18 years, but any plastic surgeon knows that the change in the shape of the mammary glands and the increase (or decrease) in their size is best carried out by already giving birth and breast-feeding women.
What diseases are treated by a plastic surgeon?
A plastic surgeon treats and performs a surgical correction of tissue deformation as a result of trauma, and also, at the patient's request, he carries out facelift, eliminate cellulite, change the shape of the nose, abdomen or lips.
The question - which diseases is treated by a plastic surgeon - can be attributed exclusively to reconstructive, i.e., reconstructive plastic surgery. Reconstructive plastic can partially or completely correct the congenital anomaly and create anatomical conditions for the normal functioning of the organ with the "wolf mouth" (cleft palate), "hare lip" (cheilohisis - congenital nebula-labial cleft), congenital maldevelopment (microtia) or absence anothia) of the auricle or with obstructive respiration of the deformity of the nose.
Treatment of maxillofacial pathologies plastic surgeon performs during the multi-stage correction of the upper lip (cheyloplasty) and correction of the sky (uranoplasty). A otoplasty allows a complete reconstruction of the auricle by transplanting the transplant - a special way of processed part of the costal cartilage.
A plastic surgeon is also able to reduce scars after burns, restore the jaw bone deformed by purulent maxillary sinusitis or destroyed osteomyelitis. Patients who lost their breasts as a result of an oncological disease are undergoing mammoplasty. Physicians of specialized specialties (otolaryngologists, dentists, mammologists, etc.) are involved in the process of treating patients with such problems.
As for Aesthetic Plastic, according to the statistics of the International Society for Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), the most common operations performed by plastic surgeons are the removal of excess fatty tissue (liposuction), as well as the correction of the size and shape of the mammary glands (mammoplasty).
In addition, very often performed such plastic surgery, as a face and neck lift; correction of the shape of the chin and cheekbones; plastic eyelids, eyebrows and lips; increase the volume of certain parts of the body due to the use of their own fat deposits (lipofilling). The scalpel of a plastic surgeon is even subject to the external genitalia of a person.
The newest technologies of plastic surgery - minimally invasive endoscopic and hardware (ultrasound and laser) - make it possible to perform a number of surfacing operations without seams and scars.
Plastic Surgeon Tips
Each surgeon has successful and not very successful operations. A mediocre surgeon has a 40% failure rate. Choose not the clinic, but the specific name of the plastic surgeon. Expensive - does not always mean good.
When choosing a surgeon, do a study. Check the license, and ask questions on the consultation. Check the surgeon through other hospitals. Make inquiries about the experience of the surgeon. On the Internet, you can meet negative feedback from competitors and positive feedback, which the clinic wrote about itself. It is very important that trust is established between you and the doctor so that you can easily cooperate. Ask the reputation of the surgeon and the opinions of patients.
When choosing a clinic, be guided by its location and cost. Will she satisfy you? Find out what the clinic is proud of.
The license must include the name of the clinic, the legal address and the level of accreditation.
If you are applying to a clinic abroad, please note 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 able to make adjustments to the appearance of a person, the advice of a plastic surgeon does not prevent those who are going to increase the bust, dream of more plump lips or think how to turn their snub nose into a proud Greek profile ...
Take a close look in the mirror and think about the fact that the phrase Mahatma Gandhi "You want to change the world - start with yourself" does not refer to the appearance of a person, but to his inner essence. And so start with improving your human qualities. Yes, it is much more difficult than going to plastic surgery, but the results of internal work on yourself will have a much greater positive effect in terms of increasing self-esteem.
A plastic surgeon can change the appearance. But apart from possible physical complications after surgical intervention or its results, which do not correspond to the patient's expectations, very often negative psychological consequences arise: naive dreams about the subsequent improvement of life are faced with reality.
So, as most experts believe, before you go to a plastic surgeon, you should discuss your problems with a good psychologist. A plastic surgeon will help you to always remain beautiful and young, to maintain zezneradoostnost and activity.