Plastic Surgery, as defined by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), is the surgical correction of deformities acquired during birth or at an early age and the restoration of contours to improve appearance and function eye and facial plastic surgery. This specialized branch was developed to address the deformities that were caused during World War I. The use of silicone or artificial materials, such as grafted tissue, has made it possible to perform some amazing restorations.
Breast reconstruction after mastectomy, for example, is another use of skin grafts. Plastic surgery is needed not only to correct a disfigurement but also to restore vital movements and functions of tissues which have been destroyed. The procedure is also done for purely aesthetic reasons. For example, to improve the shape of the nose, to move the ears to the front, or to lift the skin and remove wrinkles. CAT scans are often used by modern plastic surgeons to create computer-generated pictures that can be used to plan or simulating complex reconstructive procedures.
Skin grafts were first described in India around 800 B.C. They were used to fill the gap left by nose amputations. Ambroise pare, during the Renaissance, perfected the art of stitching. He recorded both the instruments and techniques used. New operating methods were developed in the nineteenth century, which replaced earlier rudimentary, painful procedures. The Catholic Church at the time was opposed to science advancement in general and remodeling the human shape specifically. The 20th century saw Europe confronted by the seriously mutilated, war-torn faces of soldiers who returned from the front lines of WWI. This prompted a growing desire to repair the damage, and the field of plastic surgery was finally able to gain respectability.
The Second World War came, and plastic surgeons again used their skills to aid their countrymen. The plastic surgery field continued to advance. Plastic surgery became a part of the medical community in the 1950s. As more physicians began to perform plastic surgery, the idea of plastic surgery became more popular in the 1960s. During this decade silicone became more popular in plastic surgeries and was a big part of American culture. Plastic surgery became a leading medical field in the 1970s. Plastic surgery began to expand across the United States in the 1980s. By the 1990s the number of board-certified surgeons had risen to thousands, and continues to rise today. There are thousands of board-certified plastic surgeons who offer a wide range of procedures in plastic surgery to patients, not just in America, but worldwide.