Plastic Surgeon as Sculptor
The practice of plastic surgery is a unique field of medicine. The name comes from the Greek word plasticos, which means to shape and reform. Plastic surgery is the specific surgical discipline when the skin and its contents are involved. The dramatic reconstruction of an entire face recently made headlines with the team of plastic surgeons involved in extensive delicate surgery, but a case may be as straightforward as a scar revision.
As a Board Certified plastic and reconstruction surgeon, this specialty includes a comprehensive 6-year training beyond medical school and surgical experience that focus on a wide range of medical conditions. Cosmetic medicine is the application of medical treatments using custom cosmetic or reconstructive solutions.
The design of these solutions is one of the necessary skills of a plastic surgeon. As each case is different, no one solution fits all. Plastic surgery procedures involve some degree of customization. A level of sculpture and artistry is required in the surgical specialties of reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. However, unlike the sculptor who removes marble to reveal the form within, we work beneath the skin, removing or adding fat and tissue to reveal an aesthetic living form. Therefore, when you choose a plastic surgeon you are not only choosing a physician, but also a aesthetic designer and perhaps most importantly, a sculptor.
Image: famous sketch by the artist Leonardo Da Vinci
