Saturday, October 25, 2008

From India With Love: Cosmetic Surgery

By Herbert Reich

Plastic surgery refers to a number of practices where surgeons work to correct physical or cosmetic flaws. Plastic surgery has a long history; it has been practiced in one form or another for millennia. While plastic surgery used to be an extremely rare thing, it is now commonplace.

The earliest forms of plastic surgery took place centuries ago in 2000 BC. Most cases of plastic surgery were done to correct severe abnormalities or battle injuries. If someone lost an ear or had a disfigured face, this is when they implemented plastic surgery. It was comparable to torture for the participants, so they did not take it lightly. If you wonder why it was so terrible, imagine undergoing any type of surgery without the use of general anesthesia. Now you might be able to imagine the unbelievable pain that people had to go through to get this procedure performed. Back then, no one went in for a routine tummy tuck. It was serious business and only taken on by a select few people.

Plastic surgery was first performed (as far as we know) in India, where it was eventually studied and adopted by British colonists. Dr. Joseph Constantine Carpue was one such surgeon. He lived in India for 20 years where he studied Indian plastic surgery techniques and took what he had learned with him back to the west. Dr. Carpue performed the western world's first known plastic surgery in 1815. The techniques of plastic surgery later came to the U.S., courtesy of Dr. John Peter Mettauer, who performed the first plastic surgery in the United States in 1827, using surgical instruments of his own design.

Plastic surgery has made great strides since then, with a variety of procedures having become common. Now that anesthesia is in use, plastic surgery has become a very common occurrence. The more common plastic surgery procedures currently performed are lip injections, breast implants, dermabrasion, liposuction and laser surgery. To eliminate stretch marks, sagging areas of the skin, excess fat or hair has several procedures available to them. Always consult with a licensed plastic surgeon before undergoing any such procedure -they can tell you which procedure is best for your situation and indeed, whether or not any procedure is warranted.

The United States now boasts some of the most talented plastic surgeons in the world. While the practice was developed in India, the United States now holds its own in the area of talented plastic surgeons. In fact, Chicago is one area of the United States that is known for great plastic surgeons. If you're in Chicago cosmetic surgery is only a qualified phone call away. - 15255

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