A type of
surgeon that specializes in the modification of the
look and feel (but mostly the look) of his or her patients. Originally started as a way to try correct the disfigurement of
world war I combat veterans. Plastic surgery mostly concentrates on the
reconstruction of the face and exposed parts.
At the moment, plastic surgery is almost synonymous with aesthetic surgery or cosmetic surgery. This is incorrect. Reconstructive plastic surgery is performed to correct major functional impairments caused by burns and other traumatic injuries, to correct acquired or congenital abnormalities, such as cleft lip and cleft palate, facial bone fractures, and tumours and to compensate for tissue removed in cancer or other surgery.
The "plastic" refers to the molding and reshaping of body tissues -- bone, fat, muscle, cartilage, and skin -- to improve the appearance.