What is plastic surgery?
Plastic surgery is a surgical procedure that can change one’s appearance and ability to perform various actions. It works by altering, adding or removing one’s tissues.
Plastic surgery can be classified into two types based on its purpose:
Reconstructive purpose
When plastic surgery is carried out to fix one’s bodily defects such as burns, animal bites, deformities, cleft lips, etc., that are classified under this type.
Cosmetic surgery
You might have heard of celebrities undergoing various plastic surgeries and HIFU treatments to enhance their looks. Such kinds of treatments come under cosmetic surgery.
These are aesthetic surgical procedures that can be performed on a person’s body or face if they are not satisfied.
Some common cosmetic procedures are breast enhancements (augmentation mammoplasty), breast reduction (reduction mammoplasty), nose reshaping (rhinoplasty), removing fat from certain areas (liposuction), etc.
Why is it called plastic surgery?
As the name suggests, the surgery does not involve plastics of any kind. The name of this surgery has evolved from the Greek word plastikos meaning ‘mold’ or ‘to form’.
This gives the name plastic surgery for these kinds of treatments as they involve moulding or reshaping.
What are the types of cosmetic surgery?
Based on the location where the surgery is performed and the purpose, the following types of cosmetic surgeries can be seen to be performed in hospitals.
- Liposuction
Fat is spread all over the body. But its concentration varies from place to place. Some areas of our body have high-fat reserves and are openly visible.
With liposuction, your fat deposits can be removed from the desired area.
Doctors use hollow metal tubes or thin cannulas to suck the fat out of a particular place. Usually, this is performed in the thighs, neck, back of the arms, buttocks, hips, etc.
Although it removes bodily fat, you cannot rely on this treatment for weight loss as it only removes localised fat reserves.
Also, liposuction does not help you reduce Diabetes and heart disease that was due to fat accumulation.
- Rhinoplasty
This treatment comes under facial cosmetic surgery, as it involves reshaping the nose. It is also called a ‘nose job’.
In this surgical method, surgeons restructure one’s nose by altering the tip of it or adjusting its width.
This treatment often comes with little incisions inside the nostrils. This does not involve any serious side effects. However, plastic surgeons do not recommend this treatment for those under 15 years of age.
- Blepharoplasty
This is also known as eyelid surgery. As we age, our upper eyelids may droop and may become loose. One may also develop eye bags, and tiny amounts of fat get settled around.
This surgery removes such fat and alters the skin on the eyelid and surrounding area, thus controlling the drooping of eyelids.
This surgery can even change one’s appearance as changes can easily be noticed around the eyes.
- Rhytidectomy
This is one of the common types of cosmetic surgery. It is also known as a facelift.
This is a general treatment that works against the effects of ageing.
With age, the facial muscles get sagged and drooped. One may develop wrinkles and double-chin on ageing.
This is one of the widely carried out facial cosmetic surgery that is often performed on the SMAS layer. This is the muscle layer of your facial skin that is responsible for your facial structure.
The facelift is also performed in other areas apart from the SMAS layer of the face. Usually, surgeons will remove your skin and tighten your facial muscles to achieve desired results.
This treatment removes skin drooping, excess fat and wrinkles from the face and makes a face look younger.
- Lip augmentation
Here, cosmetic surgery is performed over your lips. This treatment is often performed to increase the thickness and size of the lips; reshape and restructure the lips.
It uses dermal fillers that can be injected into the lips to reshape them and increase their volume.
However, these changes are not permanent. Based on the dermal fillers, the changes can last for 6–12 months.
- Hair transplantation
It is one of the most famous types of cosmetic surgery, the demand for which is increasing all over the world. This treatment is carried out to restore the hair growth in your bald spots.
Surgeons plant little hair follicle grafts in your bald spots. After some sessions of this treatment, the hair starts growing.
This is not a temporary solution for hair loss and does not cause any serious side effects. However, consult the doctor before undergoing such treatment.
Is it safe to do cosmetic surgery?
With the rise of cutting-edge technologies, nowadays, cosmetic surgery is considered safe. However, it doesn’t come without 100% risk-free.
Facial cosmetic surgery and other plastic surgery have some risks associated with them when it comes to regular smokers, old age people and persons with a previous health history.
If you’re planning for cosmetic surgery, it is advisable to undergo full screening and learn about possible side effects that may cause.
Conclusion
Plastic surgery, however, the meaning of the name suggests otherwise, has become one of the commonly performed surgical procedures.
Unlike the common misconception, almost all types of cosmetic surgery can be undergone by anyone.
