Know the Difference Between the Two Types of Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery. When we hear those words, the images that immediately come to mind are those of celebrities with new nose jobs, tummy tucks or breast augmentations. But did you know that there are actually two kinds of plastic surgery? I didn’t.

That is, until I watched a particular TV show wherein a woman was being interviewed. Her whole face was covered with a shawl, with only her eyes peeping out. On the screen behind her, a picture of a very beautiful young woman was being flashed.

You see, she was that woman three years ago: long brown hair, deep-set eyes, stunning features and an open and friendly smile. But an accident on her way home from a college party altered her life forever. A young man driving drunk from a night out with his friends crashed into the car she was driving and the impact literally tore her face off.

See What Reconstructive Plastic Surgery is all About

Reconstructive plastic surgery is a procedure that corrects facial defects that a person either gets at birth (cleft palate, etc.) or through an accident (dog bites, burns, etc.). Reconstructive plastic surgery aims to bring back the quality of life the person had or could have by means of technology and literally “reconstructing” the patient’s face.

Cosmetic plastic surgery, in turn, is a procedure to change a physical feature a person is not satisfied with (ex. Nose job, breast augmentation, liposuction).

So, what’s the main difference between the two? Well, candidates for reconstructive plastic surgery usually “need” the surgery in order to live like normal human beings once again. A child whose jaw got bitten off by a dog, for example, needs a new jaw not only to chew properly but to also “look” like a human child again to other people.

Thinking of getting a cosmetic plastic surgery? Here are some things you should know.