Plastic Surgery in 2020
Of all medical specialties, Plastic Surgery certainly draws the most controversy; this is generally due to its novelty and its inclusion of operations that are considered by some to be disputable from religious and cultural points of view. The lack of accessible information in the Arabic language to the public has added to this air of vagueness to the specialty. This is justified by the fact that Plastic Surgeons are preoccupied with publishing technical papers and pamphlets about certain operations and their methods rather than write information to patients which is more common in more advanced countries. Consequently, this lack of information leads to the misleading of the public into performing unnecessary and or unguaranteed surgeries, which result in physical and financial harm to the patient and a loss of credibility to the doctor and the specialty.
is Plastic Surgery Objective
It is a general agreement in Plastic Surgery that all operations are subjective; in other words, the decision of operation changes according to the physical, psychological, and cultural conditions of each patient. What seems to add to the controversy regarding Plastic Surgery is the rise in the number of unqualified centers of plastic surgery, aiming for a quick profit. Unfortunately, these centers, with the use of advertising and marketing strategies, attract a huge number of patients into performing operations under unregistered and inexperienced doctors, which lead to complications of all kinds.
Such centers have sometimes been shut down only to reopen under new names, and their numbers are still increasing, which leads to the increase in the number of complications that, quite ironically, some of these centers are now announcing their willingness to deal with complications from previous operations, no laughing matter when it is concerning the health of patients.
Plastic Surgery in Middle East Compared to U.S.A
In a visit to the MAYO clinic in the USA, I was amazed to find a huge number of patient-friendly pamphlets explaining the different methods, procedures, and possible complications in a simplified and candid approach. The complications stated in such pamphlets are the most common ones because, as stated earlier, complications differ from case to case. What was even more impressive is that the American Society Of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) authorized the publishing and distribution of these pamphlets.
I am motivated to answer the questions that have long been unanswered. In my book "Every Thing you Need to Know About Plastic Surgery", you will find a patient-friendly academic description of the various operations, procedures, and complications that fall under Plastic Surgery. The question: “what falls under plastic surgery?” Will be discussed in details in later sections.
There Are Potential Complications To Each Operation, This is a fact that is sometimes concealed from patients which is a disadvantage for both, the doctor and the patient. These facts should be clearly stated to patients to make them involved as decision-makers and make them responsible for the choices
Unregistered with The Egyptian Society Of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ESPRS)
Concerning their own health. At this note, I feel impelled to recall one of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) Hadiths, in which he says that: he who treats people without being unjust, talks to people without lying, and promises them without fail, has completed his deal of integrity and brotherhood.
What seems to have added to the misinformation about Plastic Surgery is the insufficient practice and knowledge in medical schools; such professional training is exclusive to practitioners of the specialty, which leaves patients prone to marketing tricks that will not have positive effects on their health. This has motivated me to write this book and illustrate the procedures to make sure patients are completely informed regarding the procedure, the results, and the potential complications.
Unlike most specialties, Plastic Surgery is not defined by a certain organ or system from an anatomical point of view, but rather defined by two disciplines, reconstruction of tissues of different parts of the body or reformation in a cosmetic approach. These are the two general branches of Plastic Surgery. So not only does plastic surgery deal with improving the quality of life, but also with saving one’s life.
This is a personal translated interpretation of the hadith. See Arabic version of Book for original version of Hadith.
The two main types of plastic surgeries are:
Reconstruction Surgery:
An example of such a type of surgery is a patient who had removed a facial tumor, leaving his face in a deformed state that could have some psychological repercussions on the patient. Plastic surgeons use their experience to reconstruct whatever was damaged by the tumor removal using tissues and skin flaps from other parts of the body. This practice applies to other parts of the body such as hands, legs and breast, as well as other cases such as burns and congenital anomalies. The plastic surgeon is also concerned with regaining the functionality of nerves, and otherCosmetic Surgery:
Beauty, as the old saying goes, is in the eye of the beholder. But there is still a lot more to add to this statement as beauty is completely subjective and varies in many ways, but this line of variation has to be drawn somewhere, and this is also a personal opinion or choice. A beautiful face is not to be limited to a person’s own opinion of beauty, but some factors such as proportionality, skin condition, and ageing are beyond any subjectivity. Concerning the face, plastic surgeons offer a wide range of procedures like repair of fractured bones and jaws.
As for the body, operations such as tummy tuck can help patients with some of their physical problems.
There certainly is no doubt that plastic surgery, like all medical specialties, is a humanitarian endeavor of the highest grade. For there is always a plastic surgeon working late hours to save a burn patient’s life in a common free of charge hospital, and another one meticulously operating for hours and hours to replant a poor worker’s amputated hand, and many others reconstructing different injured parts of patients’ bodies all around the world. Believe it or not, these same surgeons use identical or similar techniques to help a person feeling insecure about his or her oversized nose. The difference in severity of both types of cases is clearly obvious, but what is not so obvious in short sight, is that when this person gets the nose job he needs, he or she is then able to face the world, friends and coworkers with more confident, and could help this become all-in-all more efficient and satisfied. The techniques plastic surgeons use for face lifting are also used to help a patient with face paralysis regain sensory nerves. This introduction raises a very important question:
Where do you go to have a Plastic Surgery procedure?
For any of the operations included in this book, plastic surgeons are the professional specialists for this kind of operations. Plastic Surgeons are certified by the ESPRS. so you need first to check on a plastic surgeon before you come to Egypt, if you may consider a visit to Egypt for plastic surgery then you ensure you are under the right hands.