The Difference Between Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery & Managing Expectations
What Is the Difference Between Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery?
The full name of our department, commonly known as "Plastic Surgery," is Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery. Derived from the Greek word "plastikos" (to shape, to mold), this broad medical field is divided into two main philosophies and areas of practice:
Reconstructive Surgery
It is the process of repairing “abnormal” body structures—whether congenital (such as cleft lip and palate) or acquired (due to accidents, burns, or tumor surgery)—to restore them as closely as possible to normal. The primary goal is not so much aesthetic concern as it is to restore the function and integrity of lost tissue to the patient. Closing a cavity in the face resulting from skin cancer surgery or creating new breast tissue after breast cancer surgery falls within the scope of reconstructive surgery.
Aesthetic (Cosmetic) Surgery
Cosmetic surgery, on the other hand, involves reshaping areas of the body that are already “normal” but which the individual does not find in harmony with their own anatomical structure and which cause them visual discomfort. Although it is not medically necessary from a health perspective, it directly contributes to “mental and physical well-being” by improving the individual’s self-confidence, psychological state, and social life. Nose surgery (rhinoplasty) and liposuction fall into this category.
Realistic Goals, Happy Patients
The most fundamental key to success in cosmetic surgery is open and honest communication between the surgeon and the patient. During preoperative consultations, we listen to the patient’s expectations; however, every person’s skin structure, bone anatomy, and wound healing rate are completely different from one another.
As plastic surgeons at Egemed Hospitals, our principle is not to create “cookie-cutter” or “exaggerated” results, but rather to achieve outcomes that are in harmony with the individual’s own facial or body proportions— results that look natural and do not appear to be the result of surgery when viewed from the outside. Surgical requests that do not align with medical realities or that push the limits of a person’s anatomy are not accepted for the sake of patient safety (ethics).