Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction, or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery covers a wide range of specialties, including craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, microsurgery, and the treatment of burns. This category of surgery focuses on restoring a body part or improving its function. In contrast, cosmetic surgery focuses solely on improving the physical appearance of the body. A comprehensive definition of plastic surgery has never been established, because it has no distinct anatomical object and thus overlaps with practically all other surgical specialties. An essential feature of plastic surgery is that it involves the treatment of conditions that require or may require tissue relocation skills.
A podiatrist is a medical professional devoted to the treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. The term originated in North America but has now become the accepted term in the English-speaking world for all practitioners of podiatric medicine. The word chiropodist was previously used in the United States, but it is now regarded as antiquated.
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors, and congenital disorders.
Podiatry, or podiatric medicine and surgery, is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle and lower limb. The healthcare professional is known as a podiatrist. The US podiatric medical school curriculum includes lower extremity anatomy, general human anatomy, physiology, general medicine, physical assessment, biochemistry, neurobiology, pathophysiology, genetics and embryology, microbiology, histology, pharmacology, women's health, physical rehabilitation, sports medicine, research, ethics and jurisprudence, biomechanics, general principles of orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery, and foot and ankle surgery.
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is a surgical specialty focusing on reconstructive surgery of the face, facial trauma surgery, the mouth, head and neck, and jaws, as well as facial plastic surgery including cleft lip and cleft palate surgery.
Reconstructive surgery is surgery performed to restore normal appearance and function to body parts malformed by a disease or medical condition.
Hand surgery deals with both surgical and non-surgical treatment of conditions and problems that may take place in the hand or upper extremity including injury and infection. Hand surgery may be practiced by post graduates of orthopedic surgery and plastic surgery.
The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) is a medical society for otolaryngologists (ENT) and plastic surgeons. It exists to promote high quality facial surgery, and runs courses, workshops, scientific presentations, and a training program.
Rod J. Rohrich, F.A.C.S. is a Dallas-based plastic surgeon, author and educator. He is the editor-in-chief of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and a founding member of the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute and the Alliance in Reconstructive Surgery.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) is an organization of approximately 2,600 plastic surgeons worldwide devoted to the advancement of cosmetic surgery. Founded in 1967, their mission includes medical education, public education and patient advocacy. ASAPS sponsors scientific conferences throughout the year and offers Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits for various educational activities.
Hal Bruce Jennings, Jr. was an American plastic surgeon who served as Surgeon General of the United States Army from October 10, 1969, to September 30, 1973.
Maria Siemionow is a Polish transplant surgeon and scientist. She is known for leading a team of eight surgeons through the first near-total face transplant performed in the United States at the Cleveland Clinic in 2008. The patient, Connie Culp, a 45-year-old woman from a small town in Ohio, was exceedingly disfigured by a close range shotgun blast in 2004. The procedure took 22 hours.
Liposuction, or simply lipo, is a type of fat-removal procedure used in plastic surgery. Evidence does not support an effect on weight beyond a couple of months and does not appear to affect obesity-related problems. In the United States, liposuction is the most common cosmetic surgery.
Babak Azizzadeh, MD, FACS is an American facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. He is the founder and president of the FPBPF, a non-profit organization committed to the treatment of individuals with facial nerve paralysis and Bell's palsy.
The American Osteopathic Board of Surgery (AOBS) is an organization that provides board certification to qualified Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) who specialize in the use of surgery to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of disease (surgeons). The board is one 18 medical specialty certifying boards of the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). As of 2011, 1,279 osteopathic physicians held active certification with the AOBS. The AOBS is one of two certifying boards for surgeons in the United States; the other certifying board is the American Board of Surgery of the American Board of Medical Specialties. Fellows of the AOBS are eligible for full membership in major U.S. surgical societies such as the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Board certified surgeons of the AOBS are also eligible for membership in the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery.
Kathryn Lyle Stephenson, was the first American woman to be a board-certified plastic surgeon and the first woman to be editor of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. She contributed significantly to the development of plastic surgery between the 1940s and 1980s, and was named the American Association of Plastic Surgeons' 1977 Woman of the Year.
Peter James Taub, MD, FACS, FAAP, is an American Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, Dentistry, Neurosurgery, and Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai as well as Attending Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at the Mount Sinai Medical Center and Elmhurst Hospital Center, all in New York City. He is a diplomate of both the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
Kofi Owusu Boahene is a Ghanaian-born American physician, writer, researcher, and academic.
Darrick E. Antell, MD, F.A.C.S. is an American scientist, researcher, educator and plastic and reconstructive surgeon. As of 2023, he is Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He was the first in his field to use twins to document how faces can be affected by environmental factors like sun, stress, and smoking.
David A. Hidalgo is an American reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgeon, author, and visual artist. He holds the academic title of Clinical Professor of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
