Mr Anthony Barabas, Consultant Plastic Surgeon discusses the options for plastic surgery.
Plastic surgery often evokes images of artificial enhancements and "plastic" bodies, conjuring a mix of fascination and scepticism. However, a fundamental misunderstanding underpins this perception, largely due to the term "plastic" itself. Contrary to popular belief, the term “plastic surgery” has nothing to do with the synthetic material known as plastic. Instead, the term originates from the Greek word "plastikos," meaning "to shape" or "to mould." In Greece, plastic surgeons are aptly referred to as "body shape" surgeons, emphasizing their role in reshaping and restoring the body.
The misconception that plastic surgery involves the use of plastic materials is widespread but unfounded. The primary tools of plastic surgeons are their surgical skills and techniques, which involve meticulous reshaping and suturing of tissues. While silicone implants are used in specific procedures like breast augmentation, the majority of plastic surgeries focus on restoring or enhancing the body’s natural form through skilful manipulation of tissue.
Plastic surgery encompasses a wide range of procedures, many of which are restorative rather than purely aesthetic. The term "restorative surgery" might be more accurate, as it reflects the primary goal of returning the body to a normal or functional state. Let's explore some common procedures that highlight the restorative nature of plastic surgery:
Abdominoplasty
Abdominoplasty, commonly known as a tummy tuck, is a procedure that not only removes excess skin and fat but also tightens weakened or separated abdominal muscles. This surgery is particularly beneficial for women who have experienced significant stretching of the abdominal muscles due to pregnancy or individuals who have lost a considerable amount of weight. By bringing the abdominal muscles back together, abdominoplasty can restore core strength, improve posture, and alleviate back pain, significantly enhancing the patient’s quality of life.
Breast Reduction
For women with disproportionately large breasts, breast reduction surgery can be life changing. Large breasts can cause chronic shoulder and neck pain, bra strap grooving, and even numbness in the arms and hands due to nerve compression from bra straps. Breast reduction surgery involves removing excess breast tissue and reshaping the remaining tissue to a more manageable size. This procedure not only relieves physical discomfort but also improves mobility and enhances overall well-being.
Otoplasty/Pinnaplasty: Correcting Prominent Ears
Developmental variations, such as prominent ears, can have a profound impact on self-esteem, especially in children and adolescents. Otoplasty, or ear surgery, reshapes the ear to a more conventional appearance, which can significantly boost confidence and social comfort. Additionally, this procedure can have practical benefits, such as enabling the proper fit of protective headgear like bicycle helmets, which is crucial for safety.
Mole Removal: Enhancing Self-Confidence
Moles and other skin irregularities, while often harmless, can be sources of embarrassment or self-consciousness. Mole removal is a straightforward procedure that can be performed for both medical and cosmetic reasons. Removing a prominent mole can enhance a person’s self-confidence, allowing them to feel more comfortable in their skin. Plastic surgeons frequently remove skin cancers, but removal of benign or pre-cancerous moles removes the individual’s anxiety regarding the mole and the possibility of it changing into skin cancer.
Silicone in Plastic Surgery: The Facts
Silicone implants, particularly in breast augmentation, are one of the few instances where synthetic materials are used in plastic surgery. These implants are designed to mimic the feel of natural breast tissue and are considered safe and effective for enhancing breast size, correcting asymmetry or reconstructing the breast following mastectomy. Despite the association of silicone with plastic surgery, it is essential to understand that the majority of procedures rely on the surgeon’s ability to reshape and restore natural tissues, not on synthetic materials. With implants, not only is the surgeon’s recommendation of the shape, volume and projection of the implant important, but also the position of placement (above or below the muscles), technique of placement and reshaping of the internal breast structure to achieve the desire goal.
Even with breast augmentation it is arguably the individual’s psychology which is altered more than their appearance. Most patients will ask for a “natural look” following breast augmentation, and after their surgery surprisingly few friends or family members will even notice that they have even had surgery. What is often observed following a plastic surgical procedure is the individual appearing more confident and happier in themselves, sometime even coming off anti-depressants, and reporting improved relationships with partners and friends. It has therefore been suggested that plastic surgeons should be renamed “psychological” surgeons, for the impact they have on improving an individual’s psychology. I personally think “psychological surgeon” would introduce as much confusion as the term “plastic surgeon”, and if this interesting field of surgery were to be renamed, I would still suggest the term “restorative” surgery.
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