Plastic surgery has been around for centuries, with its origins dating back to ancient India. Physicians in India used skin grafts for reconstructive surgery as early as 800 B. C. In Europe, advances in plastic surgery were slow to arrive, and it wasn't until the end of the 18th century that the next significant advance in the history of plastic surgery was made: skin grafting.
This breakthrough came from the rediscovery of a procedure developed in ancient India, which was published in the “Gentleman's Magazine of Calcutta” in October 1794 and soon became widely used; known as the “Indian Method”.Sir Harold Gillies is generally considered to be the father of modern plastic surgery. A New Zealand otolaryngologist working in London, he developed many of the techniques of modern facial surgery in the care of soldiers with disfiguring facial injuries during World War I. Sushruta, a surgeon from India, is credited with performing the first true plastic surgery in 800 B. He developed a method of reconstructing nasal defects using forehead tissue, among other surgeries. Nasal reconstruction was one of the first procedures performed in the field of plastic surgery.
Ethnic plastic surgery is plastic surgery performed to change ethnic attributes, and it is often considered used as a way of passing. Unfortunately, nasal amputation was common in the ancient world because it was used as a form of punishment. The most significant improvements in the history of plastic surgery occurred in the last century, when several plastic surgery techniques were introduced during the World Wars. Plastic surgeons use microsurgery to transfer tissue to cover a defect when no local tissue is available. Plastic surgery procedures may also include cosmetic services such as Botox injections or dermal fillers, laser services for hair and tattoo removal, as well as laser therapy for skin conditions, scar reduction, and anti-aging solutions. When World War II broke out, the provision of plastic surgery was largely divided between the different services of the armed forces, and Gillies and his team were divided.
Pioneering skin grafting techniques, such as “tubed pedicle graft”, were developed during World War I and were perfected by leading plastic surgeons Archibald McIndoe and Harold Gilles, who used the techniques to treat severe facial burns. The Romans also performed cosmetic plastic surgery, using simple techniques such as repairing damaged ears around the 1st century B. Aulus Cornelius Celsus left some surprisingly precise anatomical descriptions, some of which are still relevant for plastic surgery today. The word 'plastic' in plastic surgery means reshaping and comes from the Greek πλασt (), plastikē (tekhnē), which translates to 'the art of modeling malleable flesh'. Human beings have always sought self-realization through self-improvement, making plastic surgery (improving and restoring form and function) one of the oldest healing arts in the world.
