History of Cosmetic Surgery

The present day cosmetic surgery procedures have evolved over a period of number of years. Initially it was a simple procedure performed on people; however this has evolved into a large medical industry wherein more and more clients are being treated every year. In other words, the history of cosmetic surgery began with small defects reconstruction and has grown into complex procedures which are tailor-made to a number of parts in our body.

Many people are unaware that the cosmetic surgery history is as old as 3000 years. It was being widely used by Indians and Egyptians. There have been a number of documental evidences from that period to show that the surgeons in those times were capable of reconstructing noses, ears and lips. They also utilized skin grafts wherein they cut the skin from cheeks or foreheads and grafted them.

The cosmetic surgery showed improvements during the Greek and Roman period. During these times complicated surgery procedures such as tensionless suture lines and lip reconstruction were performed and proof for this is shown in various texts and literatures. Even in those days medicine was quite well advanced and as days went by people started learning about bone reconstruction, tissue health and blood circulation. At present all these information are available and we are aware that complicated surgeries that were considered to be quite difficult were being performed in those days and this has become a part of the cosmetic surgery history.

Many people are of the opinion that the cosmetic surgery is relatively new; this thinking has come because of the factors prevailing during middle ages. Barbarity and superstition are the order of the day during middle ages. People believed that cosmetic surgery was wicked and against God. This was banned in those days and people thought less about their bodies and hygiene. Unfortunately, people living in those days found very little option for getting any reconstructive surgeries done.

The cosmetic surgery started reappearing during the period of Renaissance and this was because of the various literatures found in ancient India, Greece and Rome. There has been considerable advancement in Science and technology which made people to believe in the practicality of performing plastic surgery. Whatever good things done in the past because of medicine has been destroyed by the superstition and faulty theories of Middle Ages. The cosmetic surgery started showing some life again during the 18th century. The nose of a British cattle driver was repaired by an Indian bricklayer. This was performed by using a special technique that was as old as thousand years. This incident attracted a lot of attention because of the exposure made by the press and people started believing in the possibility of cosmetic surgery. This led to the birth of modern plastic surgery in the 19th century.

Plastic Surgery improved quite a lot after World War I when the plastic surgeons started perfecting their techniques. After the war a large number of people needed reconstruction procedures. Individuals wounded and scarred during the war needed plastic surgery and hundreds of doctors performed this on individuals. People started understanding the value of cosmetic surgery only in this period. The level of advancement in cosmetic surgery procedures nowadays is so high that people would not have dreamt about this 50 years back.

The evolution of cosmetic surgery procedures is constantly taking place and research is being carried out somewhere in the world as you read these lines. What we think as impossible today might become possible after some years. The rate at which the research on cosmetic surgery procedures is growing is slow nowadays as compared to a few years back; this is mainly because many such procedures are already available nowadays. It is quite possible that you are not aware of all the possibilities existing in the cosmetic surgery procedures.