Are cosmetic and the plastic surgery the same thing? If you think both to be the same, then you join who are of the same mind. However, in reality, both these practices vary, which makes it technically incorrect to use both the names interchangeably. Many plastic surgeons opt to carry out their practice over cosmetic surgery. Plastic surgery and Cosmetic surgery specialties have a close relation; however, the two differs from each other.
How the two differ?
Cosmetic surgery as well as the Plastic surgery work toward enhancing the appearance of a patient’s body. The research as well as the target for the outcome in both the cases differs significantly.
Cosmetic surgery: Boosting your appearance
Cosmetic surgery deals with the techniques, procedure, and principles that focuson enhancing the appearance of the patient. The targets include improving the aesthetic appeal, perfect symmetry and the proportion. The execution of cosmetic surgery is done over the head area, the neck portion and on the body. As the areas where cosmetic surgery is performed functions perfectly, therefore the process is elective. Various surgeons from the medical fields practice the cosmetic surgery, which also includes plastic surgeons.
Cosmetic surgery involves following procedures:
–Breast Enhancement: Augmentation, reduction and lift
–Face Contouring: Enhancement of the chin, cheeks and rhinoplasty.
–Face Rejuvenation: Face lifting, lifting of eyelids, brow neck.
–Body Contouring: Tucking of the tummy, liposuction, treating gynecomastia.
–Skin Rejuvenation: Resurfacing using laser, botox, treatment of filler.
Plastic Surgery: Maintains face defects
The surgical specialty devoted to the reconstruction of the defects caused due to birth disorder, burns, trauma or disease is defined as plastic surgery. A reconstructive process in nature, it emphasizes on mending of the defects in order to reconstruct the normal functioning and appearance. The surgery confers the correction of the areas that do not function properly. Although many of the plastic surgeons undergo additional training in order to perform cosmetic surgery.
Plastic surgery includes the following procedures:
-Reconstruction of the breast
-Surgery of burn repair
-Repairing of congenital defect – Repairing of extremity defect, cleft palate
-Reconstruction of lower extremity
-Surgery of hand
-Revision surgery of the scars
Training of cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery
As per the diverse practice as well as the goals of plastic and cosmetic surgery, both consist of specific set of procedures. Following this the training as well as the certification process i.e. the cosmetic surgeon board of certification and the plastic surgeon board of certification confers the requisite certifications to the surgeons.
Plastic surgery: The training of plastic surgery gets accomplished through the postgraduate program. Physicians from the certified board of plastic surgery ought to complete the surgery residency in addition to extra two years with plastic surgery. The plastic surgery residency program may comprise cosmetic surgery for the surgeon’s training;however, they do not incorporate the training with every cosmetic procedure.
Cosmetic surgery: The training for cosmetic surgery is carried out primarily after the residency training. The working, the experience and the knowledge required for the certified board of cosmetic surgeon talks of the specialization above as well as beyond of becoming the board certified for the plastic surgery. The surgeon certified by the cosmetic board surgery has accomplished a year as fellowship training for cosmetic surgery.
Considering any aesthetic or cosmetic procedure, both the education as well as the training of considering surgeon is equally important. To sum up, cosmetic surgery is done for the enhancement of the appearance while Plastic surgery is for the reconstruction of defected areas. Hence, before deciding for a particular surgery, make sure if you want it to cover your defected appearance out of some injury or health condition, or wish to give your appearance a complete makeover.
