A History of Plastic Surgery

The idea of Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery  has existed for many millennia in places such as ancient Egypt and India, and it even made strides through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.  However, it wasn’t until 1950 that plastic surgery was recognized as a legitimate practice.
 
Primitive Cosmetic Surgery
 
The most primitive reconstructive surgery consisted of nose and ear replacements that used skin from either the forehead or the arm. Other primitive precursors to cosmetic surgery were earlobe enlargements, tattoos and other body modifications. In ancient Rome, a cultural focus on beauty and the human body led to early surgeries to remove scars and to enhance body parts and features that were misshapen.
 
Plastic Surgery and War
 
The rise of Christianity during the Middle Ages brought a lapse in the advancement of cosmetic surgery that was rekindled during the Renaissance.  However, real progress was not made again until after the first and second World Wars, when men returning from war with damaged facial features and lost limbs caused a resurgence in the practice of restorative plastic surgery. The need for innovative procedures resulted in the advancement of what was known and understood about skin tissue.
 
After World War I, the first associations were established to set regulatory standards for the practice of plastic surgery, thereby creating a truly legitimate medical practice. In the mid-1940’s, the British Association of Plastic Surgery was created, as well as the first UK plastic surgery medical journal, now known as the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery.
 
The Rise of Modern Cosmetic Surgery
 
During the last decades of the 20th century, an explosion in the cosmetic surgery industry was seen, with everything from breast implants, liposuction, electrolysis, face lifts and cosmetic dentistry becoming routinely available.
 
Most recently, the UK’s largest plastic surgery provider for the past 30 years, Transform, has performed the first successful eyelash transplants. This innovative procedure restores the eyelashes of people who suffer from eyelash loss due to radiation treatment or disease. It is a simple, yet effective procedure that requires only local anesthesia and uses hair from the back of the head to recreate the eyelashes. The hairs are then dissected and implanted into a tiny incision along the lash line.
 
This advancement in UK plastic surgery pushes the practice one step further along in the realm of possibilities for reconstructive surgery. Already this procedure is changing lives and restoring self-esteem.

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