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By: Uchenna Ani-okoye

History of Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery is all about the sculpting and reshaping of the body. The word “plastic” comes from the Greek word “plastiko” which when translated means “to mould”. Reconstructive surgery goes way back to 500 BC, where it has been documented in Sanskirt text, with credit of the operation going to Sushruta. Oribasius who was a Byzantine physician has also made significant contributions to the field of plastic surgery, primarily through his synagogue medicae work, which is a medical encyclopaedia.

Plastic surgery then re-emerged during the 14th century, then against around the 18th century period. Anaesthesia was introduced to this form of procedure during the same period, making it less risky and far more common. The anaesthetic in American plastic surgery was introduced in 1891 by John Roe. However, only after World War 1 has lapsed did this form of surgery experiencing fine tuning, becoming more and more mainstream as a result of it. There were tons of soldiers during the war that experienced serious injuries to their body and head.

Gustave Aufricht and Jacques Maliniac can be credited for founding the American Society of Plastic Surgeons; both of these surgeons were European however. During World War 2, this form of surgery began to advance. This form of surgery became more precise and faster during the same time period. Since that time, it has successfully evolved to help a large number of people in this world.

Modern aesthetic surgery had experienced its 100th year at the end of the 20th century; the vast majority of the modern practices that are used in aesthetic surgery date way back to the 1880s.

Over the past few years, there has been a rapid climb in the number of aesthetic surgery patients. Over the past 20 years, we have witnessed significant growth in the number of people choosing to have this kind of surgery.