Cosmetic Surgery vs Plastic Surgery

If you have some aspects of your body that you are not too keen on, you may be wondering about getting them fixed with surgery. Many people have undergone surgery to better themselves for different reasons including neck contouring, breast augmentation, a facelift, rhinoplasty, and more. These are all examples of cosmetic surgery. You may wonder at this since most people would lump the aforementioned procedures under plastic surgery. There are many differences between cosmetic and plastic surgery. These differences include but are not limited to the following:

Insurance Coverage

For many people, whether or not they decide to undergo surgery may come down to the price of the operation. Some operations may be covered by insurance, but it really depends on what surgery is being done. For example, a reconstructive breast surgery following the treatment of breast cancer will likely be covered by insurance, since it is medically indicated. Purely cosmetic breast augmentation is not likely to be covered by insurance. Think about the reasons why you are desiring an operation. If there are ways in which your health could be improved, it may be covered by insurance. 

Goals of Operation

One of the main differences in plastic surgery vs cosmetic surgery is that the goal of plastic surgery is reconstruction while the goal of cosmetic surgery is to enhance or better the physical appearance of a body part. This difference may seem slight, but it actually makes each discipline quite distinct. Plastic surgery can be an emergency situation, whereas cosmetic surgery is usually just desired but not required. For example, say a dog bites a child's nose, damaging it greatly. This could constrict the child's breathing and must be fixed immediately by a plastic surgeon. Fixing someone's nose because they desire a straight nose may also be greatly desired by someone seeking cosmetic surgery, but it is not an emergency.

Training

The training for plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons usually begins in the same way. Both have to go through medical school and then choose a specialty to do their residency in. Plastic surgery contains some aspects of cosmetic surgery training since they are trying to make their reconstructions look good and natural. Cosmetic surgery training, on the other hand, is much more in-depth as to procedures which will leave no trace.

In conclusion, cosmetic surgery is ultimately aesthetic in nature, while plastic surgery aims to reconstruct body parts due to damage. Plastic surgery does include some small aspects of cosmetic surgery, though cosmetic surgery alone is a large field with its own specialties.