Do you know that 80% of Plastic Surgery procedures are actually for
non-cometic purposes?
Despite of what we usually seen on television shows such as Nip and Tuck and Extreme Makeover.
A HUGE PORTION of a Plastic Surgeon workload consists of this and some of them can be covered by Health Insurance Policies. Aesthetic procedures such as Liposuction, on the other hand, are usually not covered.
Yes, this is true. This, by looking into the fact that there are 5 Subspecialties in Plastic Surgery, namely :
In this subspecialty, the Plastic Surgeon will manage conditions such as Acute Burn Injury and Complications of Burn Injury. Domestic burn injuries account for up to 75% of all burn cases and oftentimes involve children at home.
Burn injury can be due to scald from hot water or oil, chemical burn from acid or alkali, thermal burn, electrical burn and rarely, radiation burn. Management during the acute phase consists of detailed assessment by the Plastic Surgeon in order to lead the burn care team to stabilize the patient, followed by dressings and.
Instituting analgesia, fluid resuscitation and antibiotics if indicated, specialized surgery procedures may be required such escharotomy, skin grafting or usage of skin substitutes and cultured-keratinocytes (skin cells).
Other than this, the Plastic Surgeon can also provide treatment for chronic sequela of burn injuries. This is known as Burn Contracture, where the severe scarring arising from the initial injuries give rise to debilitating deformities.
In these situation, procedures such LASER treatment, compression garments and contracture-release surgery can be utilized to treat the patients.
The second subspecialty in Plastic Surgery, but is equally important, is known as Hand and Microsurgery. In this highly-specialised field, the Plastic Surgeon will perform complex procedures such as connecting the blood vessels of nerves.
This is referred to as microvascular anastomosis. This technique is useful when we want to cover large bodily defects after surgical excisions, soft-tissue injuries or burn injuries.
Similarly in Hand Surgery, the microsurgery procedure will be used to reattach amputated hands or fingers. This surgery will take an average of 8 to 10 hours, followed by close monitoring of the patient in Intensive Care Units after completion.
All of us must have came across children with cleft lip or palate. The repair of this condition falls under the scope of paediatric plastic surgery.
Cleft Lip and Palate is a portion of a more complex deformity known as Facial Cleft. The best treatment can be delivered by a multi-disciplinary teams consisting of Plastic Surgeons, Anaesthetists, Dentists, ENT Surgeons, Speech Therapists and Paediatricians.
Certain hospitals government and private hospitals, like Avisena Women and Children Hospital, will have a dedicated team to manage this type of cases.
Other than this, paediatric plastic surgery cases also involve other areas such hands, ears or feet. For ears, conditions known as Microtia or Anotia occur when there is underdevelopment of the ears during the growing phase.
Surgery techniques for the ear, like in Otoplasty, requires meticulous planning and execution.
Another subspecialty that is non-cosmetic Plastic Surgery is Craniofacial Surgery. This is another interesting area where conditions involving congenital deformity of the skull bones can be corrected.
Do you know that a cone-shaped skull is known as Trigonocephaly, a flat-shaped skull Brachycephaly and a boat-shaped skull Scaphocephaly. Craniofacial Plastic Surgeons will rearrange the skull in a timely manner after careful assesment.
This is the most-popular subspecialty of Plastic Surgery, where procedures such as Abdominoplasty, Liposuction, Breast Augmentation, Bhlepharoplasty, Otoplasty, Hair Transplant and other aesthetic procedures are done. Lately, the trend for plastic surgery for men is also on the rise.
CONCLUSION
This is a very interesting look at Plastic Surgery that not many people are aware. By understanding this, you can plan your visit to the Plastic Surgeon and get the health insurance to cover the right procedures.
Comments