Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery

Advances in plastic surgery

Recent progress in cosmetic surgery has been rapid and lots of new techniques are developed. Reconstructive procedures have been advanced by a better understanding of the anatomy of the blood supply to skin and muscle, with the subsequent development of the use of axial flaps, musculocutaneous flaps and neurosensory flaps. Replacement joints are developed which will be utilized in hands for joints destroyed by arthritis or trauma. Craniofacial surgery is a new field of endeavour in plastic surgery, involving new techniques that can be used to treat exophthalmos of Graves' disease and the facial deformities resulting from gigantism and acromegaly. Head and neck procedures have advanced, with the stress on immediate reconstruction using new flaps. Techniques for treating cleft lip and palate have been refined. Encouraging results have been reported in the treatment of nevus flammeus with argon lasers. Improved understanding of the physiology and treatment of radio necrosis has evolved.