Plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery are two very different procedures, normally done for very different reasons, but both can make a significant difference in one’s appearance afterward. Cosmetic surgery is done purely by choice, and its only goal is to enhance a person’s looks. There are many different types of cosmetic surgery procedures including:
* Breast reduction in both male and females
* Breast enhancement in females
* Face-lift
* Rhinoplasty procedure (nose reshaping) or
* Tummy tuck
Plastic surgery, on the other hand, is a highly skilled procedure that is used 
in the repair or reconstruction of tissue and skin that has been damaged.
This damage could be due to a birth defect – such as a cleft lip and palate – or the repair of skin and tissue that has been damaged in an accident or in burn cases.
These procedures could be done to reconstruct the tissue and skin (reconstructive plastic surgery) following a surgery such as breast removal, or an injury or disease that has developed later in your life would also be an instance where plastic surgery would be necessary.
The aim of this surgery is to get the damaged skin or tissue back to looking as normal as can be. In the case of skin loss, plastic surgery can be used to repair or replace the skin. There are several techniques that can be used but the most common would be skin grafts. This procedure involves taking skin from an undamaged area and using it to replace or repair the damaged skin.
There are two types of skin graft:
* A full thickness graft; this is where the top layer and lower layers of skin are taken away, and skin taken from other unaffected areas, normally the inside of your arm or behind the ear or neck, is used to replace the damaged skin, and is stitched into place.
* A partial or split thickness graft; this is where the top layer and part of the lower layer are removed and skin from the upper arm, buttock or thigh is used to replace the damaged skin and left to heal without stitches.
Skin grafts are typically performed under either local or a general anesthetic, and can normally be done without the need for a stay in a hospital. That would, of course, depend on the severity of the injury and its location. A dressing covers large grafts while they heal and reconnect with the blood supply, normally within 5 to 7 days.
The areas where skin has been taken from are also dressed to protect from infection, with a partial graft taking about two weeks to recover and a full thickness graft taking around 5 days to heal.
Plastic surgery not only heals the physical damage, but also can help with the patients self esteem and give them back their quality of life.
For more information about plastic surgery before and after, please read about cosmetic plastic surgery and plastic surgery abroad.
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