Plastic surgery is something that is often viewed with a bit of fear and misunderstanding by the general public. Some are interested in plastic surgery, but really know nothing about what it would entail, and are afraid of being judged. Therefore, they either don’t move forward with plastic surgery at all, or do so with a doctor that isn’t necessarily the best. Many plastic surgeons specialize in work that isn’t necessarily meant to “enhance”, but rather reconstruct. There are plenty of reasons why people might be interested in reconstructive surgery, and not every case is the same. While many people associate reconstructive surgery with serious problems — perhaps they’re recovering from a facial injury — many are recommended reconstructive surgery to clear up relatively minor issues, like a deformed nasal passage. Plastic surgeons specializing in ear nose and throat problems can help people get a new lease on life, without altering their appearance more than they would like. Plastic surgery doesn’t have to be drastic unless you want it to be, and it can be done for a variety of simple health reasons. Many ear nose and throat specialists recommend plastic surgery for this very reason. Below, we’ll look into what reconstructive plastic surgery really is, and what some of the available procedures entail.
What Is Reconstructive Plastic Surgery?
For lots of people, their only experience with reconstructive plastic surgery is through fictional television shows. You might see a person get “a new face” after a tragic accident, or have their skin repaired after a severe burn. While reconstructive plastic surgery can be drastic in extreme cases, it’s often much simpler. There are many different reasons why people might seek out reconstructive plastic surgery — trauma is just one of them. Others include congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, infection, tumors, and disease. Essentially, this type of plastic surgery is meant to treat areas of the body that are affects aesthetically. However, many of the conditions treated by reconstructive plastic surgery affect ear nose and throat issues; some procedures can, for example, improve your airways while others are done for purely aesthetic reasons. Usually, these types of procedures are covered by medical insurance, though this varies from plan to plan. Reconstructive plastic surgery shouldn’t be undertaken lightly — it needs to be done by a highly skilled and qualified surgeon, ideally under the advisement of other doctors as well if the procedure is being done for reasons besides the aesthetic. But typically, these procedures are safe and are completed without major complications.
Rhinoplasty: Beyond The “Nose Job”
Believe it or not, many ear nose and throat specialists recommend rhinoplasty as a treatment for some issues. Rhinoplasty is one of the more well-known types of plastic surgery, and is widely recognized as a procedure often done for purely cosmetic reasons. However, many choose rhinoplasty because they have real medical issues. What a rhinoplasty procedure does is reshape the nose. Some have to have their noses reshaped due to congenital defects that affect the way they breathe. Even a seemingly minor defect like a deviated septum can prevent a person from breathing to the best of their ability. Other times, rhinoplasty occurs to reconstruct a nose that has sustained trauma. Even if you simply fall, the nose is one of the more prominent facial structures and thus can be easily damaged. A rhinoplasty will make the nose, in this case, look as close to its original form as possible.
Scars don’t always affect the way we live our lives on a physical level — but rather an emotional one. While some scars are so extensive that they affect movement, all scars can cause insecurities. Therefore, many choose plastic surgery in order to have the appearance of their scars minimized. While this can be done in a number of ways, the goal is to get the scarring to look as minimal as possible — hopefully giving the patient a serious confidence boost.