Reconstructive Surgery

In order to make clear what reconstructive surgery is and who requires it, we are going to talk about some basics and techniques that will help you to understand what you are dealing with. We know it is not easy to undergo a reconstructive surgery and choose a right surgeon for it, but we will try and help you as much as we can.


What is reconstructive plastic surgery?


Statistics say that there are more then one million reconstructive procedures performed by plastic surgeons every year. These surgeries are being performed on patients of all ages and types: some of them are children with a birth defect, teenagers injured in a car accident, or an old lady that has a problem caused by aging. They can all use benefits from reconstructive plastic surgery.

Primary goals of reconstructive surgery are very much different from the goals of cosmetic surgery. The difference is simple, yet many people do not know the difference between these two. You need to know that reconstructive surgery is performed on abnormal structures of the body, such as birth defects, developmental abnormalities, some kind of body trauma or injury, infections, and tumors. The primary goal is to improve function of the body, but second step may be done, it is to approximate a normal appearance.

On the other side we have cosmetic surgery, which plastic surgeons perform to reshape normal structures of the body with a goal to improve the patient's appearance, and self-esteem as a consequence of the change itself.

These are some basics that will help you understand commonly-used techniques in reconstructive plastic surgery. It doesn't answer all your questions, because each problem is unique and there can be many differences. Therefore, you must always contact your doctor so he can explain anything you don't understand or are in doubt with. Also, ask for all informations that specifically details the procedure you are considering for yourself, your spouse, or your child.


Who has reconstructive plastic surgery?


We explained some basics of the reconstructive surgery performed by plastic surgeons, now let's see who can benefit from it. First of all, there are two basic categories of patients: those who have birth defects, and those who developed deformities, which resulted as a result of accident, infection, disease, or aging. They both need a reconstructive surgery.

Few examples of birth defects, or congenital abnormalities, are: birthmarks, palate deformities nad cleft-lip; hand deformities of any kind, and abnormal breast development.

And on the other side we have burn wounds, growths, lacerations and aging problems that are result of accidents, disease, or aging and are considered acquired deformities.

There are some cases where patients will find that a procedure they thought is aesthetic in nature, is actually a procedure that has a reconstructive goal as a primary objective. Lets say that you have an redundant or drooping eyelid skin that is blocking your field of vision. Then you will have an eyelid surgery. Or there is a patient with an asymmetrical face look because of paralysis and he might have a balancing facelift. It is clear that appearance is enhanced, but the main goal of the eyelid surgery and a facelift is to restore function.

Sagging breasts are another example of a deformity that develops as a result of genetics or disease. Plastic surgeons will perform a breast reduction in this case. That is the reconstructive plastic surgery designed to give more comfortable breasts in proportion with the rest of the woman's body.

Similar case is a young child that needs to have outer-ear surgery to correct large or deformed ears. Again, primary goal here is to restore the function but also improve the look of the patient.

Most of the time health insurance policies will consider the cost of reconstructive plastic surgery a covered expense. But be sure to check with your carrier first to see if there are any limitations on the type of surgery you are planning to have. Be in contact with your doctor and get pre-authorization from the insurer for the reconstructive surgery you want done.