Plastic Surgery Overview

Plastic surgery generally refers to medical operations that mold or shape human features for esthetic or functional purposes. Contrary to what the name may indicate, plastic surgery has nothing to do with modern plastics. In this context, "plastic" is based on the Greek word "plastikos" which means to shape or to mold. Among the most common plastic surgery procedures are the following: The ABDOMINOPLASTY, more popularly known as the tummy tuck, removes excess fat from the stomach which serves to flatten and tighten the abdomen. The procedure takes two to five hours and patients can be back in circulation after two to four weeks. Common side effects include temporary pain, numbness, soreness and swelling. BREAST ENLARGEMENT is a procedure that involves the insertion of inflatable saline implants into the breasts to enhance their size. The operation takes only one or two hours and the patient is back on his feet after a few days, although the breasts remain overly sensitive to touch for three to four weeks. Common side effects include temporary soreness and swelling, change in nipple sensation and bruising. If breast enlargement is concerned with size, a BREAST LIFT is concerned with shape and is undertaken mainly to raise sagging breasts through the removal of excess skin and sculpting of the nipples and tissues. It is a one to three-hour long operations that sometimes leaves scars that heal after several months to a year or remain permanently. Patients are often back to work i a week or so. A CHEMICAL PEEL restores wrinkled or blemished skin by peeling away the top players of the skin with the use of a chemical solution.  Although this is usually an outpatient procedure, a full-face phenol peel requires a one or two-day admission. Among the side effects are acute sensitivity to the sun as well as permanent lightening of the treated area and permanent loss of the ability to tan. COLLAGEN INJECTIONS, also known as fat injections, are used to plump up facial skin that has sunk due to age as well as to add fullness to the lips. It is a simple operation that can take 15 minutes to an hour and recovery is almost immediate. DERMABRASION is a scraping procedure aimed at removing facial scars or wrinkles by scraping the top layers of skin with the use of a high-speed rotary wheel. It only takes a few minutes and patients can go back to work in a few weeks. Side effects include an acute sensitivity to the sun and the loss of ability to tan.