Plastic Surgery: From India With Love

by Herbert Reich

Plastic surgery refers to a number of practices where surgeons work to correct physical or cosmetic flaws. Plastic surgery has a long history; it has been practiced in one form or another for millennia. While plastic surgery used to be an extremely rare thing, it is now commonplace.

Some of the earliest documented plastic surgery dates to 2000 BC; these were typically performed to alleviate birth defects or injuries received in battle. Plastic surgery would be employed in the case of someone having lost an ear or nose or for other facial disfigurements. There was no anesthetic available at this time, so obviously this was not something undertaken lightly. There were no tummy tucks or facelifts done over the weekend don a whim.

Plastic surgery was first performed (as far as we know) in India, where it was eventually studied and adopted by British colonists. Dr. Joseph Constantine Carpue was one such surgeon. He lived in India for 20 years where he studied Indian plastic surgery techniques and took what he had learned with him back to the west. Dr. Carpue performed the western world's first known plastic surgery in 1815. The techniques of plastic surgery later came to the U.S., courtesy of Dr. John Peter Mettauer, who performed the first plastic surgery in the United States in 1827, using surgical instruments of his own design.

The techniques of plastic surgery have advanced greatly since 1827 and have become increasingly common. With anesthesia being universally in use, plastic surgery has in fact become commonplace. Common procedures include lip injections, breast implants, dermabrasion, liposuction and laser surgery. There are plastic surgery procedures which can remove stretch marks, sagging, excess fat or hair - patients have a lot of options open to them today. Before going in for any surgical procedure, speak with a licensed plastic surgeon; these professionals can tell you about your options and tell you whether or not a plastic surgery procedure is best for your situation.

The United States now boasts some of the most talented plastic surgeons in the world. While the practice was developed in India, the United States now holds its own in the area of talented plastic surgeons. In fact, Chicago is one area of the United States that is known for great plastic surgeons. If you're in Chicago cosmetic surgery is only a qualified phone call away.