Plastic surgery is more than just a beautification procedure for some people. It helps seriously injured and disfigured people restore their bodies.

Cosmetic surgeons' offices are filled with people looking to improve their looks. They are beautiful people who want to be more beautiful or regular looking people trying to look less regular. They have breast implants and face lifts and tummy tucks to speed up progress on getting fit or to slow down aging. They are by and large the consumers of plastic surgery. There is however another group of people who are helped in ways that are leaps and bounds more fulfilling than the people looking for basic aesthetic improvement. People who have serious injuries and burns or congenital defects should look to plastic surgery to regain some semblance of normalcy.

People with horrible facial or skin burns are often helped immensely by the work of a cosmetic surgeon. Plastic surgery offers a number of ways to repair and reduce heavy scarring. Dermabrasion can smooth out rough skin. Reconstruction can repair features that have been lost. It is possible to rebuild an ear or a nose and it is even possible to replace a lost eyelid. In fact one of the best people to call in immediately after serious burns is a cosmetic surgeon. They will not be able to remedy problems after they have healed but they will be able to minimize scarring during treatment.

First, we must look at the history of plastic surgery. Before surgical procedures became available, many women opted for nonsurgical gadgets to enhance their appearance. In the early 20th century, some women wore chin straps that were supposed to help sagging chins and jawlines appear firmer. A less popular contraption was a nose thinner-which is still in existence today, although slightly updated of course.

With the World Wars in the 20th century as well as increased surgical technology, facial surgery became much more feasible. At first used as a reconstructive process, surgeons soon realized the immense capabilities of plastic surgery-including facial operations for cosmetic reasons as well as the reconstructive processes.

Anti-aging. Many women (and some men) choose to undergo plastic surgery in order to appear younger. This can include anti-wrinkle injections, such as Botox; face, neck, and eyebrow lifts; as well as laser skin resurfacing to treat sun damage. The filler injections are wonderful ways to update the complexion in a nonsurgical way.

Some patients will have a reaction to the general anesthesia, and sometimes the reaction is caused by a patient's failure to disclose medications they are currently taking such as Viagra or heavy alcohol or drug use. What your anesthesiologist doesn't know could kill you, so it is vital to be upfront and honest when you go in for your evaluation with the doctor. Even under the best of circumstances, patients can experience an unexpected reaction to anesthesia such as nerve damage from the injection site being to close to a nerve and subsequent pain due to the nerve damage.

Other risk factors include uncontrollable bleeding and infections at the surgical site. Of course these risk factors are controlled as much as possible by following procedures that guarantee a patient is operated on in a clean, sterile environment by highly trained doctors and nurses. Every step of the procedure from the initial consultation to getting your medical history are all steps geared to not having anything go wrong.

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