Understanding Plastic Surgery Sub-Specialties

Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the restoration and enhancement of physical deformities. Its two major categories are reconstructive and cosmetic. Reconstructive plastic surgery is concerned with the correction and restoration of form and function, while cosmetic plastic surgery is more concerned with the improvement of appearance. Despite the different motivations, both can be performed to prevent potential diseases and difficulties caused by malformation.

 

The two categories consist of procedures treating special cases. Some of the most common operations include mammoplasty, abdominoplasty, buttock augmentation, and rhytidectomy. Each specialty focuses on improving the function or aesthetic of a specific body part. Mammoplasty, for example, concerns the augmentation, reduction, or reshaping of breasts.

 

Plastic surgery also consists of several sub-specialties designed to deal with general cases. Some plastic surgeons in productive cities like Los Angeles train extensively on popular sub-specialties, which include burn surgery, hand surgery, pediatric surgery, and craniofacial surgery.

 

Burn surgery has two phases—acute, which is done immediately after the burn incident, and reconstructive, which deals with the burn scar. This is a sub-specialty that a trained los angeles plastic surgeon can perform. Since the hands are common burn areas, people often confuse burn surgery with hand surgery. However, the latter concentrates on correcting congenital malformations of the upper extremities.

 

On the other hand, pediatric surgery concerns birth defects and childhood disorders. A los angeles plastic surgeon recommends early treatment for these problems to prevent them from worsening and progressing into adulthood. Some cases that this branch of cosmetic surgery remedies are craniofacial anomalies, hand deformities, cleft lips, and cleft palates.

 

Craniofacial surgery is a sub-specialty that covers a wide array of deformities. It generally corrects craniofacial skeleton and soft tissue damage. It also deals with secondary surgical procedures for the head and face, such as orthognathic operations for the jaw. Since the skull and face are some of the body parts that undergo the most changes between childhood and adulthood, there are separate craniofacial surgery branches for young and older patients. A los angeles plastic surgeon is required to have special training to be licensed providers of these surgical treatments.

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A Plastic Surgery to Cure Breast Cancer

A common misconception on plastic surgeries is that they are only meant for vanity purposes, but there is a type of plastic surgery that also helps in treating types of cancer. Mastectomy is the surgical removal – partial or complete – of one or two breasts, chest wall muscles and lymph nodes done to treat breast cancer and other related diseases. Those who believed to have high risk of breast cancer may have the operation to prevent cancer. Males and females can both undergo in this procedure. General anesthesia is required for mastectomy. A plastic surgeon can perform four kinds of mastectomy procedures.

 

The first procedure is known as total mastectomy. This is catered to women who have the ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which is the most common type of breast cancer. In total mastectomy, the plastic surgeon only removes the patient's breasts and some lymph nodes. Chest wall muscles are not touched.

 

The second procedure is known as the radical mastectomy. This is for chest muscle cancer patients. In radical mastectomy, the plastic surgeon removes all the chest wall muscles, lymph nodes and breasts to keep the cancer cells from spreading.

 

The third procedure, on the other hand is known as modified radical mastectomy, where the breasts and axillary nodes, found near the patient's underarm, are removed. The last procedure is known as the quadrantectomy mastectomy, which removes any sign of tumor in the chest area of young patients. After this procedure, the patient needs to undergo radiation therapy.

 

Before performing any kind of mastectomy, a los angeles plastic surgeon must first guarantee that no other procedures can be done for tumor removal. Mastectomy must only be performed if radiation therapy and chemotherapy are inefficient, if the patient is pregnant and if the tumor is larger than two inches.

 

All four kinds of mastectomy involve a lot of bleeding. It is therefore best that patients go to a certified los angeles plastic surgeon. Only a certified surgeon can guarantee that a patient will not have further complications from infection and excessive blood loss.

 

Aside from blood loss, mastectomy also involves plenty of swelling. The procedure can also reduce a patient's upper body movement, so it is best to approach a reputable los angeles plastic surgeon to assist patients even on the slightest of movements.

 

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If you have questions, please visit us at www.sunsetcosmeticsurgery.com/ for complete details and answers.