Over recent years, it is noticeable that we have become much more accustomed to using medical terminology in everyday speech. Only the other day was I reading about how a certain celebrity had undergone a surgical procedure to treat gynaecomastia (male breasts). However, sometimes we might not realise it, but we are partial to using medical terms incorrectly. This is what linguists like to call “malapropism”- the act of misusing similar sounding words.

Increasingly, with regards to plastic surgery, many people have blurred the distinction between “Cosmetic Surgery” and “Reconstructive Surgery”. Whilst the terms are related, they aren’t actually the same thing. First of all, “Plastic Surgery” is an umbrella term which covers the fields of cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery. Let’s take a look at the differences.

Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic surgery is concerned with refining a person’s appearance. According to some studies, the origins of cosmetic surgery date back to India in 2000 BC, where surgeries such as rhinoplasty (nose surgery) were carried out by the famous doctor, Susatra. As civilisations increased trade and explorers went further afield, the art and science of cosmetic surgery grew and grew. By the time the British Empire was in full swing during the 19th century, doctors were travelling to India in droves to witness cosmetic surgery in action. Soon, these techniques were exported to Europe, although because surgery was so dangerous owing to the lack of anaesthesia and antibiotics, cosmetic surgery didn’t become mainstream until later on.

Reconstructive Surgery

Reconstructive surgery is concerned with restoring function, although it may also attempt to restore the original appearance of the site as well. It appeared earlier in Europe during the 1400s and has been traced back to a family of Sicilian surgeons- the Brancas. Originally, the family developed new suturing techniques and methods to fix ear and lip damage. It wasn’t until a Bolognese surgeon called Gaspare Tagliacozzi developed techniques to cut sections of skin from one part of the body and sew them to another that real reconstructive surgery as we might conceive it started to take shape.

With this potted history of cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery, you can see that the difference between the two is actually quite significant. Naturally, both have a shared and complementary history, but they should be considered distinct practices in the field of plastic surgery.

Ashtead Hospital is one of Surrey’s leading private hospitals with an excellent reputation for delivering high quality healthcare for self pay/insured and NHS patients.