COSMETIC SURGERY :

Something which everyone knows about! Fillers, Botox, facelift, liposuction, tummy tuck and what not! But how much do we all know really?

A concept that cosmetic surgery is only for the actors and film starts, only for the elite class; which is in fact completely false. Cosmetic surgery includes aspects which we all may need at some or the other point of time.

Hair transplant to make cover a balding spot and make you look so much younger, getting rid of man boobs or gynaecomastia, getting fillers to get fuller lips or blepharoplasty to get fresher eyes, mommy makeover post pregnancy or a tummy tuck to get rid of that stubborn fat which doesn’t go in spite of all the diets we follow! All these are now the need of the hour and very easily acquirable.

BURNS :

However small or big, superficial or deep, a burn wound is something which creates panic. If not managed properly and at the right time it may lead to permanent unsightly deformities.

Cleaning and dressing of major burn wounds, giving the patients proper fluid resuscitation, and covering the wounds timely with skin grafts or flaps are exclusively a plastic surgeon’s expertise.

The job is not over yet! The patient needs to be educated about proper splintage, post op physiotherapy, to prevent scars and contractures.

Late presentations with severe contractures need proper release and coverage to give them a likeable appearance and rehabilitate them into routine life.

TRAUMA :

Injuries by sharp objects, glass pieces, kite string, may seem minor, but in fact injure vital structures such as tendons, blood vessels and nerves. Proper repair by a plastic surgeon with adequate post op splintage and physiotherapy can give optimal results and prevent permanent deformity. Hand and upper limb reconstruction is to be managed very meticulously for proper results.

Similarly lower limb open fractures, complex wounds, diabetic foot may present as a difficult to manage problem if not treated by a trained plastic surgeon and may lead to bone loss or limb handicap .

Facial trauma due to animal bites, facial fractures following road traffic accidents cause complex wounds which need thorough debridement, suturing and coverage with ‘like’ structures for a perfect result. Facial fractures are managed by reduction and fixation with mini plates so that the bony prominences of your face which actually give you the chiseled appearance are restored back in place.The damaged soft tissues need to be repaired into place just like fitting in pieces of a jigsaw puzzle!

CONGENITAL ANOMALIES :

There are many congenital anomalies, which make the child very conscious and nervous, are in fact treatable and can be managed very well by a trained plastic surgeon.

Some of the common ones include cleft lip and palate, constriction rings, fused fingers or syndactyly, multiple fingers or toes, torticollis or wry neck, tongue tie, arterio-venous malformations and haemangiomas. Such treatable problems may be a cause of social stigma and isolation for the child causing him embarrassment and isolation.

MICROVASCULAR SURGERY :

Microvascular surgery also includes repair of nerves, blood vessels that is arteries and veins, lymphatics under magnification by sutures which are finer than your hair!

Nerve injuries can be very incapacitating to the patients. Early and late repair or nerves , followed by muscle and tendon transfers, brachial plexus injuries are all managed by microvascular techniques by plastic surgeons.

Vascular surgery extend from repair following cut by a sharp object to reimplantation of the entire limb, fingers, or even avulsed organs like ear or scalp.Creation of AV fistula for dialysis which can make the life of a patient with chronic kidney disease much easier for dialysis.

Lymphatic obstruction, leading to elephantiasis or severe enlargement of the limbs, making the patient a social outcast. It can be managed by microvascular techniques and staged procedures and rehabilitate the patient back into routine

CANCER RECONSTRUCTION :

Removal of a tumor from regions like the oral cavity, large tumours of the skin, sarcomas can lead to formation of very large complex defects involving bone, muscle, skin and other organs. Reconstruction by plastic surgical methods can help restore function and give the patient a likeable appearance.

MISCELLANEOUS :

Small benign tumours such as lipomas, sebaceous cyst, an in growing toe nail or a wide or stretched out ear lobe because of wearing long earrings, an old tattoo which you don’t want anymore or a small wart or old scar which just seems out of place!

These are all very minor problems but some how cause distress to us. They can be managed by a simple day care procedure, without any need of admission and in a nearly scarless manner!