This book provides a complete history of plastic surgery, a description of the modern techniques and choices available, and an overview of the controversies surrounding the choice to voluntarily change your physical appearance.Plastic surgery was historically considered a medical necessity. These were procedures specifically developed to treat burn or accident victims, to correct those born with cleft palates, or to repair extreme cases of cosmetic disfigurement, such as amputations performed as a punishment for adulterous men. Today, however, plastic surgery is a common option for those seeking to modify their normal and uninjured bodies to conform to an unrealistic, idealized model of perfection.This book presents the fascinating history of how therapeutic techniques were adapted to offer cosmetic changes to patients without disfiguring bodily flaws. The first section of Plastic Surgery details this evolution by tracing the history from development of the medical techniques to the choices currently available today. The second section digs deeper to examine the controversies and issues associated with plastic surgery, such as race, beauty, and gender reassignment. The third section offers primary documents produced by medical authorities regarding accepted procedures and practices, as well as an expansive glossary and timeline.

In modern society, the decisions to pursue plastic surgery-such as rhinoplasty or breast augmentation-are sometimes made with as little thought as changing one's hair color. Should plastic surgery be treated as a consumer choice rather than an optional medical decision?

Series ForewordSection IIntroduction1 History2 Indications and Types of Treatment3 Challenges and Applications4 Anesthesia and Antisepsis5 Wartime: The Mother of Invention6 Paradigm Changes in Reconstruction and Aesthetics7 Corrective versus Cosmetic Surgery8 Organizations and SocietiesSection II9 Introduction and Overview10 Informed Consent: Doctors and Patients at Risk11 Wartime Morality and Politics12 Breast Reconstruction13 Is Ethnicity Bad?14 Liposuction15 Botox: A Good Use for a Bad Organism16 Silicone and Other Implants17 Down Syndrome18 Cleft Palate and Cleft Lip19 Ambiguous Genitalia20 Why Would Anyone Want to Do That?Section IIIIntroductionAppendix A Documents1 Cases of Deformity from Burns, Successfully Treated by Plastic Operations, Thomas Mütter, 18432 Safety of Silicone Breast Implants, 19993 FDA Press Release, 20064 Position Statement on Cosmetic Surgery for Children with Down Syndrome, 2011Appendix B Plastic Surgery Time LineAppendix C GlossaryAppendix D Further ReadingIndex