Plastic Surgery at St.Philomena's Hospital deals with the repair, reconstruction, or replacement of physical defects of form or function involving the skin, musculoskeletal system, craniomaxillofacial structures, hand, extremities, breast and trunk, and external genitalia. It uses aesthetic surgical principles not only to improve undesirable qualities of normal structures but in all reconstructive procedures as well.
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty interested in the correction of form and function. While famous for aesthetic surgery, plastic surgery also includes a variety of fields: craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, burn surgery, microsurgery, and pediatric surgery. Contrary to its name, plastic surgery does not involve the use of plastics during surgery.

Plastic surgery generally can be divided into two types:

  • Reconstructive surgery- surgery to improve function or minimize disfigurement that has occurred as a result of an accident, disease or birth defect.

  • Aesthetic or cosmetic, surgery- designed to improve a person's appearance by reshaping facial or bodily features.

Common techniques used in plastic surgery are:

  • incision
  • excision
  • microsurgery
  • chemosurgery
  • electrosurgery
  • laser surgery
  • dermabrasion
  • liposuction

Usually, good results are expected from plastic surgery that emphasizes:

  • Careful planning of incisions so that they fall in the line of natural skin folds or lines.
  • Appropriate choice of wound closure.
  • Use of best available suture materials.
  • Early removal of exposed sutures so that the wound is held closed by buried sutures.