Plastic Surgery Specialist

What is plastic surgery?

Plastic surgery is a branch of surgery that focuses on reshaping the body to improve appearance and function. Plastic surgery is made up of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. Plastic surgery is used in children and adults for various types of conditions and deformities. 

Cosmetic surgery

Cosmetic plastic surgery is any surgical or nonsurgical procedure that you get in order to enhance and/or reshape the structures of your body. The main goals of cosmetic plastic surgery are usually to improve your physical appearance and boost your self-confidence.

Cosmetic surgery can be a good choice for people who are healthy, have realistic goals for their procedure and body, and who want to make positive changes for themselves. Common cosmetic procedures include surgery for breasts, fat reduction, body lifts, eyes, lips, face, buttocks, abdomen, as well as upper and lower extremities. 

What body parts can you alter with plastic surgery?

Some of the body parts that surgeons most often shape during plastic surgery include:

Face

You can use plastic surgery to remove wrinkles, scars, and other signs of age. 

Breasts

You can request plastic surgery on your breasts to make them larger or smaller to reshape them. 

Nose

Plastic surgeons can change the size and shape of your nose. It’s often done for cosmetic reasons or your surgeon can reconstruct it after it’s been broken. 

Abdomen

During a tummy tuck, plastic surgeons flatten the abdomen.

Eyes

You can have plastic surgery to correct drooping eyelids, to remove excess fat around the eyes, or to remove puffy bags below the eyes.

Buttocks

During a buttock lift, your plastic surgeon removes excess fat and skin around the buttocks and repositions the remaining skin to make sagging buttocks looked younger and more toned.

Reconstructive surgery

Reconstructive plastic surgery is plastic surgery that surgeons perform on body structures that have been functionally and/or aesthetically affected by trauma, disease, tumors, infections, developmental abnormalities, or congenital defects. 

Reconstructive surgery can restore and improve function or normalize appearance. An example of reconstructive surgery is moving tissue around to cover wound defects or exposed bone/tendons. This can be done with local flaps of tissue or by taking free flaps of tissue from other parts of your body. 

Reconstructive surgery is commonly used in patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Plastic surgeons often work with orthopedic and general surgeons in surgical cases. 

In general, reconstructive surgery is commonly used in patients with:

• Congenital deformities: hand and extremity, lip, and face
• Developmental deformities: due to infection, trauma, illness, aging

To learn if plastic surgery is right for you, talk to your Riverview Surgical Center provider.