Lately you may have seen a number of news stories about Connie Culp, the first patient to receive a facial transplant in the United States. While her procedure is classified as “reconstructive,” her surgeons clearly spent some time working to create a more “normal” and attractive appearance for her, and I think her case is a great example of how often reconstructive and cosmetic surgery overlap.
At my plastic surgery practice near Columbus I perform a fair number of procedures like reconstructive hand surgery along with “purely cosmetic” procedures. For most of my patients, though, even “cosmetic” procedures like face lift surgery and Columbus, OH breast augmentation have a reconstructive component that must be addressed if the patient is going to enjoy good results.
A few goals cosmetic and reconstructive patients share:
- A more “normal” appearance: No one wants to look unnatural, and while problems like underdeveloped or severely uneven breasts may seem unimportant to people who do not have them, for the person who experiences them, correction can be life-changing.
- Functional results: In the hands of a skilled surgeon, cosmetic surgery will reshape areas like the abdominal muscles, facial tissues, or breasts while maintaining or even enhancing the functionality of those areas. Eyelid surgery is a great example because for many patients, this procedure significantly improves vision, but even treatments like Columbus area BOTOX® Cosmetic, when properly performed, will retain as much as possible of the normal function of the patient’s body.
Connie Culp’s transformation is far more dramatic than what almost any other plastic surgery patient is likely to experience, but her case resonates with me because most of my patients’ goals are very similar to hers – achieving a lasting, natural-looking change that allows their outward appearance to reflect more accurately who they are. Ideally, I think that is the goal that every good plastic surgeon wants to achieve.
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