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When people hear the term plastic surgery, many immediately envision costly, often unnecessary procedures reserved for the wealthy, focused mainly on cosmetic changes like rhinoplasties and breast implants. While there’s some truth to this—these are still the most common surgeries—the field of plastic surgery has a rich, long-standing history. Surgeons have had to fight for recognition and credibility, working tirelessly to prove the importance of their contributions beyond vanity.
Plastic surgeons have not only revolutionized aesthetic enhancements but have also developed life-saving and life-improving techniques. Let’s explore this fascinating field and answer some of the questions that may be on your mind about plastic surgery’s true purpose and impact.
10. The Term 'Plastic' in Plastic Surgery Has No Connection to the Synthetic Material
The roots of modern plastic surgery can be traced back to the 16th century, when Italian physician Gaspare Tagliacozzi, drawing inspiration from an Indian medical manual written nearly a millennium earlier, successfully performed a nose reconstruction on a patient. He used tissue from the inner arm, an innovative procedure for its time. Interestingly, the word “plastic” to describe these surgical techniques wasn’t coined until 1837—18 years before the actual invention of plastic material.
The word 'plastic' comes from the Greek term plastikos, meaning to shape or mold. At its inception, plastic surgery specialists focused more on reconstructing damaged or deformed body parts rather than on cosmetic enhancements. With advances in anesthesia and sterilization by the mid-1800s, more complex surgeries, including the first true rhinoplasties, became feasible.
Despite its early potential, plastic surgery was not officially recognized as a medical discipline for a long time. While its initial emphasis was on aiding those disfigured by trauma or disease, we’ll take a brief moment to address another common question you might have.
9. Breast Augmentation Has A Richer History Than You Might Imagine
The first recorded successful breast augmentation was actually a reconstructive procedure, not a cosmetic one. The patient had lost a portion of her left breast due to the removal of a large tumor. German surgeon Vincenz Czerny performed the reconstruction using a lipoma—a benign fatty tumor—from the patient's back. This groundbreaking surgery took place in 1895, and over the next seven decades, surgeons worked on developing a suitable material for commercial breast implants.
Materials like paraffin, alcohol-soaked sponges, and beeswax were all unsuccessful, but in the early 1960s, Houston junior resident surgeon Frank Gerow revolutionized the field. Gerow got the idea for silicone implants after squeezing a blood bag and noticing its similarity to the feel of a woman’s breast. His first experimental procedure was conducted on a dog and was deemed a success. And yes, the implants were removed once it was determined to be safe.
Timmie Jean Lindsey, the first human patient to undergo the procedure, initially came in to consult about removing a tattoo. She agreed to volunteer for the implant surgery and was delighted with the outcome. In fact, she still has the very first silicone implants, serving as a testament to the procedure’s long-lasting viability.
8. Modern Reconstructive Surgery Was Driven by World War I
Although early 20th-century advancements in anesthesia and antiseptic techniques had already enabled plastic surgeons to perform intricate procedures on delicate areas, nothing had prepared the field for the unprecedented challenges posed by World War I. With the introduction of new explosives and weaponry on the battlefield, soldiers returned home with injuries that were unlike anything seen before.
It was through addressing these new and complex injuries that the field of plastic surgery saw some of its most significant advancements, largely thanks to the pioneering work of Harold Gillies. A New Zealand-born, London-based surgeon, Gillies is widely recognized as the father of modern plastic surgery for his groundbreaking contributions during this period.
Recently discovered records reveal that over 11,000 surgeries were conducted on more than 3,000 soldiers from 1917 to 1925, introducing revolutionary skin and muscle grafting procedures never seen before. With antibiotics not yet available, the risk of infection was a constant challenge.
To combat this, Dr. Gillies developed the tube pedicle or 'walking-stalk skin flap' method, which involved rolling the graft into a tube and 'walking' it to the target site. This innovative technique likely saved thousands from infection.
After the war, Gillies and other pioneers of wartime plastic surgery faced resistance from the medical community. Despite their groundbreaking work, plastic surgery lacked clear definitions and a way to share knowledge until the American Society of Plastic Surgeons was established in 1931.
7. A Plastic Surgeon Played a Role in Making Cars Safer
The heated discussions about auto safety reached a tipping point in 1935, following the release of a Readers’ Digest article titled '—And Sudden Death.' Joseph C. Furnas, the author, focused on scolding reckless drivers, hoping to shock them into better driving habits. He suggested that for an irresponsible driver, the best outcome was to be 'thrown out as the doors spring open. At least you are spared the lethal array of gleaming metal knobs and edges and glass inside the car.'
Although Furnas never considered improving the vehicle’s safety features, Detroit-based plastic surgeon Claire Straith reached this obvious conclusion after several years of reconstructing the faces of car accident victims.
In 1937, after Straith wrote a strongly worded letter to Walter P. Chrysler, five new Chrysler models were released featuring safety-oriented innovations. This was a groundbreaking move for the auto industry, including rubber buttons instead of steel, rounded door handles, and recessed knobs.
While it took years for Straith’s other suggestions—padded dashboards and seat belts—to be adopted, it didn’t stop him from installing both in his personal car long before they became standard features in vehicles.
6. A Plastic Surgeon Achieved the First Organ Transplant
Although most people don’t associate transplant procedures with plastic surgery, the two fields share many similar techniques, such as reconstructing and reattaching nerves and tissue, while also managing the risk of rejection. In fact, the very first successful organ transplant—a kidney—was carried out by distinguished plastic surgeon Joseph E. Murray in 1954.
Murray was already a well-respected figure for his pioneering work in treating burn victims and those with facial disfigurements. However, this organ transplant was a groundbreaking achievement, as prior to its success, no one even knew if it was truly possible.
Dr. Murray spent a decade researching and experimenting without yielding positive results. However, with the help of a donor organ from the patient’s identical twin, his successful 1954 transplant procedure sparked immense excitement within the medical field, proving that organ transplants were indeed possible.
Following this success, Dr. Murray became a leading expert in transplant and rejection biology, even contributing to the development of the first immunosuppressants in the 1960s. In recognition of his groundbreaking work, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1990. He was one of only nine surgeons, and the only plastic surgeon, to ever receive this honor.
5. A Plastic Surgeon Was Also Behind the First Successful Hand Transplant
Dr. Warren Breidenbach, head of the Division of Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery at the University of Arizona in 2016, has had a distinguished career. His current research focuses on establishing an institute for composite tissue transplantation and leading-edge work on immunosuppressants. He is recognized as the world’s foremost authority on hand transplants, and for good reason. In 1999, he performed the first successful hand transplant.
The recipient of this groundbreaking surgery, Matthew Scott, had lost his hand in a fireworks accident an astonishing 14 years before the procedure. The planning process for the surgery took three years, and Breidenbach faced intense scrutiny from the medical community, particularly over ethical concerns. There were significant doubts about the procedure’s feasibility, especially considering previous failed attempts in 1964 and 1998, both of which had ended in rejection of the donor hand by the patient’s immune system.
Since then, over 85 individuals worldwide, including children, amputees, and victims of explosions, have received successful hand or arm transplants. Once again, these advances would not have been possible without the contributions of plastic surgeons, and it took one of the best in the field to make it happen. By 2016, Breidenbach had performed more hand transplants than any other surgeon and had trained most of the other surgeons in the US qualified to carry out the procedure.
4. The Surge of 'Medical Tourism' for Plastic Surgery
As many of our US readers know, and others may have heard, the American healthcare system leaves much to be desired. While the quality of care and technology is generally strong, waiting times for certain procedures can be agonizing, and the costs for major surgeries tend to be, well... astronomical.
As a result, those seeking expensive procedures, whether cosmetic or medical, have increasingly turned to countries where healthcare costs are more affordable. However, we're not talking about the typical back-alley surgeries in places like Mexico.
While Mexico and Brazil still hold a portion of the 'medical tourism' market, emerging powerhouses like Dubai and Thailand have raised the stakes by offering high-quality, state-of-the-art care at prices that are pushing Western medical institutions to step up their game.
Thailand, for example, has risen to the forefront of medical tourism, boasting cutting-edge technology, internationally trained surgeons, and hospitals that resemble luxury hotels more than traditional medical facilities. In 2013 alone, the country generated an astounding $4.3 billion from foreigners seeking medical treatments.
3. Full Face Transplants Are Becoming More Viable
In 2012, Baltimore-based plastic surgeon Eduardo Rodriguez carried out the most extensive full face transplant ever performed on Richard Norris, who had severely injured his face in a 1997 suicide attempt with a shotgun. This operation was one of the most complicated and demanding plastic surgeries ever undertaken at that time.
Before Richard Norris, only a few similar procedures had been attempted. The first was a partial face transplant that was successful in 2006. Norris’s procedure also proved successful. Despite his somewhat unusual appearance and the necessity of lifelong medication to suppress his immune system, the fact that his new face is functional, given his previous injury, is truly remarkable.
Rodriguez has since repeated his groundbreaking success. In 2015, he performed a full face transplant on firefighter Patrick Hardison, who had lost his face in a fire. The results are nothing short of stunning, with Dr. Rodriguez stating, 'Tremendous advances in medicine have occurred, tremendous advances in innovation and technology that allow us to do this procedure reliably in today’s day and age.'
Though there have been three deaths linked to complications—an understandably small number given the procedure’s inherent risks—by mid-2016, full or partial face transplants had been successfully carried out on over 30 patients.
2. Men Are Closing the Gap with Women
Many of us associate cosmetic surgery with women, but recent statistics reveal a rapidly growing market of professional men. In fact, as of 2014, men represented a significant portion of the $14 billion industry.
According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, between 1997 and 2014, the number of men opting for cosmetic procedures surged by 273 percent, with a 43 percent increase in the final five years of that period. Dr. Steinbrech (yes, him again) explains that men see cosmetic surgery as an investment in their careers. 'They’re at the top of their game and feel young and confident,' says Steinbrech, 'but they worry they don’t look it.'
While some might find the soaring demand for cosmetic surgery puzzling, the fundamental techniques behind procedures like tucks and lifts must be mastered before advancing to the more astonishing procedures we will discuss shortly.
1. The Latest Innovations Don’t Require Surgery At All
For less invasive procedures like tucks and face-lifts, newer techniques are constantly being developed to minimize recovery time and scarring. New York-based plastic surgeon Doug Steinbrech offers a surgery-free face-lift, utilizing a special device that gradually stretches the skin over three hours (with anesthesia, of course). While stitches are involved, recovery takes only five days, and the procedure costs $35,000—ideal for those who have deep pockets and a strong aversion to knives.
Dr. Doris Day, a fellow New Yorker and local media figure (with a name like hers, she’s hard to miss), has pioneered nonsurgical techniques that utilize ultrasound to target and shrink stubborn areas of fat, followed by Botox and laser treatments. Ultrasound can even serve as a substitute for traditional liposuction.
Day refers to it as 'the newest method to help reshape and melt fat. [...] It’s similar to liposuction, but without the surgery. [...] The process uses high-density focused ultrasound to heat and liquefy fat.'
