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Q What
is plastic surgery?
A Plastic surgery involves surgical
procedures designed to repair, reconstruct, replace
or enhance features of the face and body. Plastic surgery
procedures can be divided in two major categories; cosmetic
and reconstructive surgery.
Q What is the difference
between cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery?
A Cosmetic surgery
procedures are performed to aesthetically enhance the
normal features of the face and body.
Reconstructive surgery procedures are
performed to correct the abnormal features of the face
and body caused by birth defects, tumors, diseases,
or trauma.
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Q What is the importance
of Board-Certification in Plastic Surgery?
A Any medical doctor, legally, can
perform plastic surgery procedures, however only doctors
board-certified in Plastic Surgery received the necessary
training to perform cosmetic surgery procedures. A doctor
can become certified in plastic surgery after he or
she has graduated from an accredited medical school
and has completed at least five years of additional
training as a resident surgeon. This includes a minimum
three-year residency in an accredited general surgery
program and a minimum two-year residency in plastic
surgery. To become certified, the doctor then must successfully
complete comprehensive written and oral exams.
Q Why do people consider having cosmetic
surgery?
A People consider cosmetic surgery
for a variety of reasons. Usually people want to change
a specific area in their appearance that they feel could
be improved. This personal desire may be influenced
to some degree by the individual's role in society.
Because our culture is youth-oriented, people seek ways
to counter the effects of aging on their appearance.
Many elect surgery to look as young as they feel, to
build confidence after a change in lifestyle, or to
maintain their looks compared to younger generations.
Whatever your reasons for choosing
cosmetic surgery, it is important to have realistic
expectations. Improving a feature of the face or body
may give you greater self-confidence and add to your
sense of well-being, but it is not a solution for happiness
or a guarantee for better relationships with others.
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Q Does my insurance
cover cosmetic surgery?
A No, not generally, cosmetic surgery is considered
"elective surgery" and is not covered by most
insurance plans. However, sometimes certain procedures
are performed to improve function rather than appearance.
For example, protruding or large ears may be considered
a birth defect and ear surgery deemed necessary to correct
it, or eyelid surgery to correct drooping eyelids, which
cause impaired vision, or breast reduction if the weight
of the breasts causes pain or interferes with normal
activity. If this is the case, contact your insurance
company before surgery to determine if it is covered.
Q What type of anesthesia
should be used and what are the side effects?
A Usually local anesthesia will be
administered to numb a specific area to be treated,
along with a light sedative to make you feel drowsy
and relaxed. Generally for larger areas, general anesthesia
is applied which causes you to be asleep during the
whole procedure. Any pain experienced is usually controlled
with a medication prescribed by your surgeon.
There may be some side effects with
anesthesia. Some people have a slight feeling of nausea
during the postoperative period. Some people may vomit,
but this is uncommon. Some patients may feel slightly
tired for the first few hours after surgery, which typically
wears of quickly.
Side effects of anesthesia vary from
person to person dependent on the reaction of their
body. Some people may have side effects even with slight
amounts of sedation. Therefore it may be necessary that
you be observed during the immediate post-operative
period, by a trained nursing staff.
Most important to remember is that
anesthesia is an integral part of your surgical experience.
You should know as much about it as possible. You should
thoroughly discuss your anesthesia needs with your surgeon.
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