How Is Cosmetic Different From Plastic Surgery?

There has been enormous growth in the available procedures for cosmetic and plastic surgery since the beginning of the twentieth century. Along with this has come the standard of looking healthy, young and beautiful. If you are considering a procedure to alter your appearance, you may be looking into cosmetic surgery. Before you choose a procedure, you will want to know their differences. One thing you will want to know is the difference between plastic and cosmetic surgery. While these are both similarly-defined, there are several distinct differences.

Cosmetic surgery, is defined as surgery chosen purely for redefining your looks. If you are dissatisfied with a facial or body feature, you can choose cosmetic surgery to alter the specific area. Cosmetic surgery focuses on reducing lines and wrinkles in the face, removing body fat from a specific area, or lifting, supplementing or reducing a specific body feature.

Plastic surgery, on the other hand, focuses on body reconstruction. If you have a birth defect or have had a disease or injury that has caused a change in your features, you may use plastic surgery to change your body. Plastic surgery is known to remove imbalance as well as heal deformed areas that may have caused pain or problems in the past. If you have had surgery as a result of a disease, plastic surgery may be used to reform your body image.

As cosmetic and plastic surgery advances, the standards for and knowledge of them have also advanced. One of your choices will be in the selection of your surgeon. While both cosmetic and plastic surgeons are required to attend medical school in order to legally perform surgery, their backgrounds may be different. Both cosmetic and plastic surgeons receive the same background medical training. However, a cosmetic surgeon will not receive educational training for cosmetics specifically. They will obtain most of their training through a post-residency training program consisting of workshops, seminars, and eventually, certification.

Plastic surgeons, however, after completing their general medical education will also need to complete a specific training program. The focus, instead of being on cosmetics, will be on learning how to surgically treat physical problems, such as tumors, deformities, and other types of complications. Upon completion of this training, they will then earn a certificate for plastic surgery specifically. Either of these doctors have the option of becoming trained in both cosmetic and plastic surgery.

If you are considering cosmetic surgery, you will want to make sure the surgeon has been certified through a specific training program and has a proper medical background. This will be different than finding a surgeon to econstruct a body defect. By understanding the difference between these two kinds of surgeons as well as surgeries, you will be able to eliminate from consideration some available surgeons when deciding to have cosmetic surgery.
by: William Brown