Plastic Surgery Facts. A Little History.

Plastic Surgery has been around longer than we can even imagine. For many, they find it hard to believe that various forms of plastic surgery were being performed in the first century B.C. Yes, it sounds crazy! But plastic surgery is no new thing. Although the techniques and technology have increased dramatically over the years – and still continue to – people perform and undergo surgery for the same reasons as they have since the beginning of time. Here are a few milestones and facts in plastic surgery history – enjoy!

• “Plastic” is derived from the Greek work “plasikos”, meaning “to mold”. The term “surgery” is derived from the Greek word “kheirourgos” – from “kheir” meaning “hand” and ergon – “work”.

• Romans were practicing various forms of plastic surgery to repair noses, eyes, teeth and lips by the first century B.C. Comelius Celsus (25- B.C. – A.D. 50) even describes performing procedures such as circumcision reversal and breast reduction in men.

• Plastic surgery was seen as sinful and pagan during the Middle Ages because of the “spilling of blood” by a surgeon and the power the surgeon had over the body were akin to magic.

• The first “nose job” was found in ancient Indian Sanskrit (600 B.C). Physicians at the time would perform the surgey by cutting the skin from either the cheek or forehead, then would twist the skin aside over a leaf and sew the skin into place. Wood tubes were inserted into the nostrils to keep the air passage open.

• In the early Renaissance, many plastic surgeries were preformed in barber shops.

• British surgeons saw an Indian brick layer repair the nose of a cattle driver who had both his hand and nose cut off in 1794. After seeing this, British surgeons imported the procedure back to northern Europe where the interest grew rapidly.

• The term “plastic surgery” was coined in 1818 by Karl Ferdinand Graefe. He also worked to remove the moral stigma associated with nose reconstruction- so he gave it the name “rhinoplasty” to make it similar to other plastic surgery procedures.

• The American Association of Plastic Surgery was established in 1931 by surgeons who served in WWI to help with unregulated plastic surgery. Now, they are the largest plastic surgery organization in the world.

• WWI boomed plastic surgery techniques. Rebuilding of limbs, extensive skin grafts, antibodies, microsurgery and increased knowledge about tissue health all developed during this time.

• In the 1960′s we saw a great increase in the popularity of silicone breast implants. Some show girls would inject their breasts with liquid. Unfortunately they could suffer danger side effects, such as amputation of the breast due to not only infection but “silicone pendulous” breasts by the time they reached 40.

• Nov. 24, 1893 in Germany, the first modern breast augmentation took place. The patient was a 41-year-old singer who had a growth removed.

• In 2007, there were 11.5 million plastic surgery procedures performed, an increase of 50 percent from 2000. Since the collection of plastic surgery statistics- the procedures have increased 457 percent!

• In 2006, Americans alone spent $13.2 billion on plastic surgery.