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About Us |
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Patient Education |
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Photo Gallery |
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The ASPS
Patient Photo Gallery currently includes
before and
after surgery pictures. |
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Patient
Education |
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What is the difference between cosmetic and reconstructive
surgery? |
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Cosmetic surgery is performed to reshape normal structures of the
body in order to improve the patient's appearance and self-esteem.
Cosmetic surgery is usually not covered by health insurance because it
is elective.
Reconstructive surgery is performed on abnormal structures of the
body, caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities,
trauma, infection, tumors or disease. It is generally performed to
improve function, but may also be done to approximate a normal
appearance. Reconstructive surgery is generally covered by most health
insurance policies although coverage for specific procedures and
levels of coverage may vary greatly.
There are a number of "gray areas" in coverage for plastic surgery
that sometimes require special consideration by an insurance carrier.
These areas usually involved surgical operations which may be
reconstructive or cosmetic, depending on each patient's situation. For
example, eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) - a procedure normally
performed to achieve cosmetic improvement may be covered if the
eyelids are drooping severely and obscuring a patient's vision. |
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Cosmetic surgery |
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Cosmetic surgery is a very
popular avenue for personal enhancement, as demonstrated by the 11.9
million cosmetic procedures performed in the U.S. alone in 2004. As
for any operation, cosmetic procedures involve risk, and should
therefore not be undertaken lightly. Critics of
plastic surgery note that it is legal for any doctor, regardless of
specialty, to perform "cosmetic surgery", but not "plastic
surgery". It is thus important to distinguish the terms "plastic
surgery" and "cosmetic surgery": Plastic Surgery is
recognized as the
subspecialty dedicated to the surgical repair of defects of form or
function -- this includes cosmetic (or aesthetic) surgery, as well
as reconstructive surgery. The term "cosmetic surgery" however,
simply refers to surgery that is designed to improve cosmetics, or
appearance. In several countries including Australia, many doctors
who are not qualified as surgeons also perform cosmetic procedures.
The most prevalent
aesthetic/cosmetic procedures are listed below. Most of these types
of surgery are more commonly known by their "common names." These
are also listed when pertinent. |
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Reconstructive surgery |
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Reconstructive plastic surgery
corrects birth defects, repairs structures destroyed by injury, and
replaces tissue removed in other surgeries. Cleft lip and cleft
palate repair release of post burn contractures and other jaw and
face (maxillofacial) surgeries are commonly performed reconstructive
surgeries. Cosmetic or aesthetic surgery of the nose (rhinoplasty),
ear and wrinkles (rhytidoplasty or face lift), are also fairly
popular. Correcting obvious defects may be very helpful for the
patient in dealing with others and keeping a high sense of
self-esteem. Common
reconstructive surgeries are: breast reconstruction for women who
have had a mastectomy, cleft lip and palate surgery, contracture
surgery for burn survivors, and closing skin and mucosa defects
after removal of tumors in the head and neck region. Sex
reassignment surgery for transsexual people is another example of
reconstructive surgery. |
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About Surgery |
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Areas of
surgery |
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Planning your surgery |
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