If you've always thought that cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery were the same thing, you're not alone. A significant number of plastic surgeons choose to focus their practice on cosmetic surgery and, therefore, the terms are often used interchangeably. But this is not technically correct. Cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery are closely related specialties, but they are not the same thing. Plastic surgery is a broad field that encompasses both cosmetic (aesthetic) procedures and reconstructive procedures.
Reconstructive surgery focuses on repairing or reconstructing problems caused by congenital deformities, the removal of tumors such as cancer, trauma, or other reasons. Some other lesser-known plastic surgery procedures include carpal tunnel surgery, microsurgery, rhinoplasty, and peripheral nerve surgery.
A big problem for many people is that a cosmetic surgeon and a plastic surgeon can be confused.
But while cosmetic surgery is a type of plastic surgery, cosmetic surgeons can only perform cosmetic procedures, explains Dr. Alan Matarasso, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). In other words, cosmetic surgery is a subspecialty of plastic surgery.Reconstructive surgery is often considered “medically necessary” and may be covered by health insurance. Cosmetic surgery refers to elective procedures that improve or enhance the aesthetics of the face, breasts, and body. So, while your plastic surgeon is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, if that surgeon performs a tummy tuck or breast augmentation, those procedures are considered aesthetic. Plastic surgery is defined as a surgical specialty dedicated to the reconstruction of facial and body defects caused by congenital disorders, injuries, burns and diseases.
Plastic surgery aims to correct dysfunctional areas of the body and is reconstructive in nature. While many plastic surgeons choose to complete additional training and also perform cosmetic surgery, the foundation of their surgical training remains reconstructive plastic surgery. In fact, in 1999, the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons changed its name to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons to more firmly convey the message that “plastic and reconstructive surgeons are the same.” Every surgeon certified by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery has completed a 1-year fellowship of training exclusively in cosmetic surgery. During this fellowship, surgeons receive extensive training in all facial, breast, and body cosmetic surgery procedures, in addition to non-surgical cosmetic treatments, and perform a minimum of 300 individual cosmetic surgery procedures.
This training grant is in addition to completing a 3- to 5-year residency program in a related discipline. Cosmetic surgeons, referring to themselves as board-certified individuals, can be misleading if you don't know what questions to ask. While both cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery seek to improve the patient's body, the general philosophies that guide training, research, and goals for patients are different. Many plastic surgeons seek additional training to perform cosmetic surgery, although the primary surgical training is reconstructive plastic surgery.
Because any licensed doctor can legally perform cosmetic surgery, regardless of how you received cosmetic surgery training, it's extremely important that you do your research when choosing a cosmetic surgeon. To become certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a surgeon must undergo at least six years of residency training, of which at least half must be dedicated to plastic and reconstructive procedures. The difference between a plastic surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon isn't the procedures they offer, but rather the surgeon's qualifications to perform those procedures. Physicians who obtain board certification in plastic surgery must complete a residency in general surgery plus another 2 years in plastic surgery. As a specialty, plastic surgery aims to maximize the patient's aesthetic outcome in any capacity, but this experience doesn't only apply to the minimally invasive procedures that can be seen in the media.
Most of the time, poor plastic surgery results or “plastic surgery failures” are due in part to the fact that an unqualified professional was chosen to perform an operation for which they were not properly trained. Therefore, the title “board-certified plastic surgeon” indicates a certain level of training and experience with respect to plastic surgery, but does not indicate the same with respect to cosmetic surgery, since the residency training required to obtain board certification in plastic surgery may not include training with respect to many common cosmetic procedures. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the other major society that certifies plastic surgeons. When considering the difference in training between plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons, a woman should initially check whether or not her future surgeon is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
There are a lot of questions and misconceptions about both, and many patients mistakenly believe that plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons are the same when they aren't...
