Top Plastic Surgeons, Reconstructive Surgery
Top plastic surgeons can tell you that not all plastic surgery is cosmetic in nature. An estimated one million plus reconstructive procedures are performed by plastic surgeons every year. Reconstructive surgery is performed to correct physical problems that limit or restrict proper function. Cosmetic surgery is performed to primarily to enhance the appearance.
Reconstructive surgery corrects birth defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma or injury including those from accidents and burns, tumors, or damage caused by disease. Reconstructive plastic surgeries costs are covered typically covered by insurance while cosmetic surgery costs are mostly borne by the patients, since cosmetic surgery is considered “elective” surgery.
Burn Injuries
Burns are some of the most pervasive, heart-breaking and difficult injuries a body can suffer. Severe burns destroy muscle, nerves, and even bone, causing permanent scarring and disfigurement.
Reconstructive surgery offers many solutions to people recovering from the horrors of burn injuries. Burn repair technology has developed rapidly and offers more than just the awkward skin grafts of the past. Top plastic surgeons that specialize in this area have had specialized training and experience in this particular field.
Cleft Lip Repair
One out about 800 children will be born with a condition called a cleft lip, where the upper lip did not grow together properly. A cleft palate is a similar condition when the soft tissues on the upper part of the mouth fail to join together. Plastic surgeons can repair cleft lip and cleft palate damage to give a child a more normal appearance and to make sure they can eat and speak properly as they grow up. Recovery from these procedures depends greatly on the extent of work performed, but a child can be expected to fully recover after a few weeks.
Ear Deformity Surgery
Ear deformities are one of the most common types of reconstructive surgery performed on a small percentage of the population born with defective ears. “Cup ear”, “Lop ear”, and “Cauliflower Ear” are all congenital deformities that are reparable with plastic surgery. Most ear surgeries are relatively simple, involving little pain, but providing a lifetime of pride and confidence.
Hand Surgery
Each of us are reliant on our hands to perform efficiently and quickly any tasks required. But a hand injury or deformity can affect someone dramatically. Fortunately, plastic surgery has made incredible advances in reconstructing hands damaged by congenital defects or external trauma.
Complicated problems such as joined fingers or simple carpal tunnel syndrome can easily be there reconstructed by an experienced plastic surgeon. A surprising number of hand surgeries are caused by household and industrial accidents. Lacerations and even dismemberment from industrial equipment can now be repaired with the aid of a top plastic surgeon. If you injure your hand with a saw, or a piece of broken glass, the recovery time can be extensive with multiple surgeries to reconnect muscles, tendons and other tissue.
Microsurgery – Magic for Plastic Surgeons
Microsurgeries are almost miraculous reconstructive procedures which are performed to repair the smallest of nerves, tendons, and muscles. Using extremely fine and precise surgical instruments, reconstructive surgery is now able to restore seemingly permanent injuries to the hands, face, and joints. This kind of plastic surgery provides new hope for patients who have been born with congenital defects or those who have suffered some devastating injury from accident or circumstance.
Plastic surgeons often work with patients with skin cancer. Deep skin cancers can require reconstructive surgery to excise the cancerous cells, and then more surgery to revise potentially wide spread scarring left by the cancer removal. Since skin cancer is often located on the face, neck, hands and arms, there is a need to reduce scarring damage to a minimum.
