Facial Plastic Reconstructive Surgery

What is facial plastic reconstructive surgery?

Many people think of plastic surgery as purely cosmetic, but there's a lot more to this surgical specialty. Plastic surgery gets its name from the Greek word plastikos, meaning "to mold" or "to give form," and plastic surgeons often do reconstructive procedures that can rebuild body parts after an injury or illness. 

Plastic or reconstructive surgery can be done on almost any part of the body, and its purpose is often to restore normal function and/or a normal appearance. Surgery may be done as part of your treatment for a variety of conditions, such as:

• Injuries from accidents or trauma
• Congenital abnormalities or birth defects, such as a cleft palate
• Tumors or cancer, such as skin or breast cancer
• Burns
• Hand injuries, illnesses or deformities
• Skin conditions like birthmarks or scars

Depending on the condition being treated and the body part being reconstructed, multiple surgeries may be needed.

Sometimes surgeons will move tissue from one part of the body to another through a process called skin and tissue grafting. This lets surgeons rebuild structures like your nose or lips using your own tissue. 

Plastic surgery procedures can repair or reshape parts of the body, regardless of whether you have an underlying illness or injury. These cosmetic procedures are usually done to improve the appearance and can include techniques like liposuction or laser surgery.

At Main Line Health our experienced and highly trained surgeons in locations throughout the Philadelphia region provide a variety of plastic and reconstructive surgery procedures.