brief guide to plastic surgery
The origins of plastic surgery lie in procedures developed to repair or restore parts of the body which had become damaged by burns, accident or other trauma along with cosmetic work following the correction of birth defects cases. The common theme here is the intention to return the appearance, as near as possible to what it would have been had the problem not occurred.
Cosmetic plastic surgery by contrast consists of an array of elective procedures intended to make body parts appear better or younger. The most commonly performed elective cosmetic surgery consists of liposuction, breast augmentation, face lift, and tummy tuck.
Liposuction
Liposuction (lipoplasty) vacuums fatty deposits from under the skin through a long hollow needle called a cannula. It can be applied to many areas of the body, typically the abdomen, thighs, arms, neck, and certain areas of the face.
The object of these procedures is to sculpt the body by removing unwanted fat from areas on the body, including thighs, knees, buttocks, upper arms, chin, neck, and cheeks. Liposuction is not meant to be a substitute for dieting and exercise, but to remove areas of fat on the body that have not responded to traditional weight loss techniques.
These procedures are typically performed under local anesthesia and surgery times vary depending on the size of the area being treated, but are usually less than an hour.
Breast Augmentation
Breast augmentation (augmentation mammoplasty) is one of a variety of procedures designed to increase the size and shape of a woman's breast. Cosmetic breast surgery offers many individual options for changing the size and shape of your breasts. Surgical methods and breast-implant technology have improved dramatically in recent years and breast augmentation is now less invasive, with more options and better post-surgical results.
Face Lift
A face lift (rhytidectomy) is a major procedure to treat facial skin laxity and sagging. This well-knwn procedure tries to counter-act the signs of aging that the face has to endure, including
the effects of gravity over time, exposure to the sun, and stress.
A face lift can drastically improve visible signs of aging by tightening underlying muscles and removing excess fat and often provides a benefit for more than ten years. There are many variations on the basic method and your doctor will advise which is suitable in your case.
Tummy Tuck
Tummy tuck (abdomnioplasty), which is considered major surgery, continues a steady gain in popularity in the US. This involves removing excess skin and fat from the lower and middle abdomen, as well as tightening the muscles of the abdominal wall and can produce a much-improved body-contour.
Other common procedures
Other common cosmetic plastic surgery procedures include breast lift, breast reduction, rhinoplasty, body-contouring, removing birthmarks or acne scars and more.
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