Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Overview
Appearance plays a big part in a person’s everyday life. Whether it’s for professional work, or just for personal self-esteem, one’s looks are very important. And to have that taken away—whether it is from a traumatic physical injury, or through congenital or genetic defects—is such a painful thing to bear. Physical damage is very hard to hide, and can cause a negative psychological and emotional impact to the person.
However, advances in cosmetic plastic surgery have reached a point wherein reconstruction is now very effective, and yields very good results. This is the reason why people who have physical damage recognize reconstructive plastic surgery as a good solution.
What is reconstructive plastic surgery?
Reconstructive plastic surgery is the procedure performed to correct aesthetic and functional impairments caused by a multitude of reasons, whether it is through physical traumatic injuries, congenital defects and abnormalities, infection, cancers or tumors, burns, and many more.
Early forms of reconstructive plastic surgery focused mainly on improving function, but advancements over the years have increased its effectiveness in improving aesthetic appearance, restoring it to almost normal.
Because of the frequency of the cases associated with them, here are some of the most common reconstructive procedures:
- breast reconstruction and reduction
- laceration repair
- scar removal
- tumor removal
- skin repair
- creating new portions of the ear or severed fingers
Breast cancer survivors can benefit greatly from reconstructive plastic surgery. Because the procedure usually severely alters the look of the breasts, which can have a negative emotional impact to women, reconstruction can help reduce the rigors of going through breast cancer by restoring the patient’s breasts to its natural form.
Burn victims can also benefit from reconstructive plastic surgery. Contracture surgery is used for burned sections of tissue and muscle, while skin grafts can help repair the burnt skin’s appearance.
How is reconstructive surgery performed?
Depending on the situation and the target areas, reconstructive plastic surgery will employ many different techniques and approaches. For instance, plastic surgeons may use microsurgery, a procedure that can be employed to transfer tissue to a target area of defect when local tissue isn’t available in the area.
When this happens, muscle, skin, fat, even bone, can be taken from a different area of the body, and then moved to the target area of reconstruction, reconnecting it with proper blood supply.
Because the sample came from the patient itself, there are no issues with the body rejecting it.
Others will employ implants, fillers, and other synthesized materials to complete the reconstruction process. For instance, breast reconstruction can employ the use of breast implants in conjunction with skin grafts to achieve the desired results. Jaw and chin reconstruction can also employ this technique, using both implants and natural bone to reconstruct damaged sections of these areas.
Risks and recovery time
Majority of the risks depend on the procedure done. Usually, the larger and more complicated the procedure, the more possible risks for complications. Infection is always an issue, along with swelling, bleeding, and severe pain.
Recovery time depends on the amount of surgery done, as well as the size of the area.