WHAT IS PLASTIC SURGERY?

Most people think plastic surgery is to do with repairing scars resulting from burns and road traffic accidents.

In fact, there are two aspects: Reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery.

The word "plastic", in surgical terms, was developed from the German "Rhinoplastik" used to describe the reconstruction of a nose after cancer, by a surgeon in the 19th century. Plastic was used to give the sense of molding the skin.

Today reconstructive surgery involves not only skin, but bone and muscle and nerves and even small blood vessels in microsurgery. It is now very specialised and in the UK it takes an average twelve to fourteen years from qualifying as a doctor to becoming a consultant plastic surgeon.