What is Corrective Plastic Surgery Anyway?

Reconstructive plastic surgery includes breast reconstruction, burn repair surgery, congenital defect repair, and various kinds of injury reconstruction. It’s a crucial tool to help people live full lives after injury or other bodily problem.

Is Cosmetic Surgery and Corrective Plastic Surgery the Same?

Most people think that cosmetic surgery and corrective plastic surgery are pretty much the same because people often use the terms interchangeably, despite this being technically incorrect. There are several key differences that many don’t realize about these closely related specialties.

Key Differences Between Cosmetic and Corrective Plastic Surgery

Here are the two main differences between these types of plastic surgery.

Different Purposes

While at the most basic level their goals are the same, that is, improving the patient’s body or face, however, there are different purposes to the surgery.

The focus of cosmetic surgery is to enhance appearance. That means the key goals of the surgery are in improving aesthetic appeal, symmetry, and proportion. Because the treated areas function properly, cosmetic surgery is always elective.

Alternately, the focus of corrective plastic surgery is to repair defects in order to reconstruct a normal function and appearance. This surgical specialty is dedicated to the reconstruction of facial and body defects due to birth disorders, trauma, burns, and disease.

Before and After

One of the key elements to help differentiate corrective plastic surgery from cosmetic surgery is viewing a plastic surgeon’s portfolio. Dr. Chadwell, for example, has an online before and after photo gallery. These images showcase a number of reconstructive procedures, including:

• Nasal reconstruction after skin cancer excision
• Facial reconstruction after skin cancer excision
• Nasal reconstruction after facial burns
• Upper Lip Scar Revision
• Mole removal
• Earlobe repair

Of course, this is a condensed list. To view a more extensive gallery of images, click here.

As you can probably surmise from the procedures above, reconstructive/corrective surgery is different in its overall purpose. Corrective plastic surgery has the potential to improve appearance and functionality that may have prevented individuals from fully experiencing a confident life. The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words,” truly applies here. Viewing a before and after portfolio not only provides proof of a plastic surgeon’s skill level and ability, it offers hope to those who have long waited to correct an issue they may be self-conscious, embarrassed or frustrated with.

To learn more about Dr. Chadwell’s experience please call the office at 574-280-4818, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook!