Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Procedures At-A-Glance
What You Need to Know
Choose a surgeon you can trust
Plastic surgery involves many choices. The first and most important is selecting a surgeon you can trust.
Choosing an ASPS Member Surgeon ensures that you have selected a physician who:
- Has completed at least five years of surgical training with a minimum of two years in plastic surgery.
- Is trained and experienced in all plastic surgery procedures, including breast, body, face and reconstruction.
- Operates only in accredited medical facilities
- Adheres to a strict code of ethics.
- Fulfills continuing medical education requirements, including standards and innovations in patient safety.
- Is board certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or in Canada by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada®.
ASPS Member Surgeons are your partners in cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery.
Look for the ASPS Member Surgeon logo.
To find a plastic surgeon who performs a procedure, visit the online referral service of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). ASPS, founded in 1931, is the largest plastic surgery organization in the world and the foremost authority on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. All ASPS physician members are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Excerpted from the ASPS/ASAPS Patient Education Brochures
© ASPS/ASAPS 2008
Procedures At-a-Glance
Injuries, disease and birth defects all can lead to deformities that can be repaired with reconstructive plastic surgery. Although surgery can restore form and function to improve your condition, it can’t fulfill unrealistic expectations.
Your best results will occur when you work closely with your plastic surgeon to set realistic goals. This web page presents an overview of the indications and applications for the following reconstructive plastic surgery procedures:
- Breast reconstruction
- Breast reduction
- Cleft lip and palate repair
- Ear surgery
- Hand surgery
- Scar revision
- Skin cancer treatment
Breast Reconstruction
If you lost a breast or were disfigured by mastectomy, several surgical techniques can be used to reconstruct a new breast:
Flap technique forms a natural breast shape using donor sites, which may include the abdomen, back or buttocks.
Implants can create a new breast mound.
Tissue expansion aids in the formation of new tissue when healthy tissue is inadequate after mastectomy to cover and support the breast implant.
Nipple and areola reconstruction (pigmented skin surrounding the nipple) is achieved through additional grafting techniques and tattooing to provide areola color.
Get detailed procedural information on breast reconstruction.
Breast Reduction
Female Breast Reduction
Surgery can correct disproportionately large, sagging breasts through removal of excess fat and tissue to create a smaller, better-positioned breast. Depending on the size and position of your breasts, incisions may include a keyhole pattern, vertical pattern or circular pattern.
Reduction in the size of an enlarged areola may also be performed. Your breast reduction surgery may be covered by insurance. Carefully review your policy to determine coverage.
Get detailed procedural information on female breast reduction.
Male Breast Reduction
Over-developed male breast tissue and, in some cases, asymmetry of the male breast can be corrected with plastic surgery to create a flatter or more symmetric contour of your chest. In most cases, correction of gynecomastia is not eligible for insurance coverage.
Liposuction is used when fatty tissue is the primary source of breast over development. Incisions are commonly hidden at the areola, in the underarm area or in the breast crease.
Excision techniques are recommended where glandular breast tissue or excess skin must be removed to correct gynecomastia.
Get detailed procedural information on male breast reduction.
Cleft Lip and Palate Repair
A cleft lip is an incomplete upper lip formation present at birth that appears as a separation on one or both sides.
An incomplete formation of either the hard or soft parts of the upper palate inside the mouth is a cleft palate, also present at birth. These defects may cause impaired feeding, speech, dental development and hearing, and will require surgical treatment by a team of specialists.
Cleft lip repairs are initially performed when a child is at least 10 weeks of age and 10 pounds in weight and has a hemoglobin (or blood count) of at least 10.
Cleft palate repairs are generally performed when a child is somewhat older, from 9 to 18 months of age.
Correction of a cleft lip or palate usually requires multiple procedures during a child’s growth and development. Intervention is recommended early because of other medical problems that can be associated with clefting, particularly ear infections.
Get detailed procedural information on cleft lip and palate repair.
Ear Surgery
Protruding ears on one or both sides can be corrected with plastic surgery.
Surgical techniques create or increase an under-developed ear fold or reduce enlarged cartilage to create a more normal appearance. Conditions that can be treated include:
- Overly large ears — a rare condition called macrotia
- Protruding ears occurring on one or both sides in varying degrees — not associated with hearing loss
- Adult dissatisfaction with previous ear surgery
Microtia is a complex congenital ear deformity where the outer ear is severely disfigured. Hearing is impaired in varying degrees.
Reconstruction requires staged surgical procedures to create a more normal external ear and improve hearing.
Less common ear deformities, which may or may not affect hearing ability, include: constricted ear, Stahl’s ear (distorted in shape due to an abnormal fold of cartilage) and cryptotia (hidden ear). An individualized surgical plan is required to define goals and achieve desired results.
Hand Surgery
Plastic surgery can correct structural and functional irregularities, and in some cases restore a more normal appearance of the hand and fingers. Conditions treated by hand surgery include:
- Injuries
- Abnormal nerves or blood vessels
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Dupuytren’s contracture
- Immobile tendons
- Missing digits, short or crooked fingers
- Polydactyly (extra) finger
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Syndactyly (webbed fingers)
Scar Revision
Excessive scar formation, which may cause restricted movement, can be repaired. Common scar formations include keloids, hypertropic scars and contracture.
Scar revision includes:
Topical treatments such as gels, tapes or external compression can help in wound closure and healing, or to reduce the ability of skin to produce irregular pigment.
Injectable treatments are often used to fill depressed or concave scars.
Surface treatments such as dermabrasion, laser or light therapy, chemical peel solutions, or skin bleaching agents can improve scar appearance and texture.
Excision to remove, narrow or change the direction of a scar.
Pharmaceutical tissue substitutes may be used if ample, healthy tissue is not present for closure of a scar incision. Tissue expansion may be an alternative.
Skin Cancer Treatment
A variety of techniques are used to remove and treat malignant lesions of the skin.
Treatment of skin cancer with plastic surgery is designed to maximize cure rates and minimize any resulting disfigurement in appearance.
Simple excision of the cancer with a surrounding rim of normal skin and tissue treats small lesions leaving a small, localized scar.
Microscopic examination of the lesion during surgery assures complete excision of the cancerous tissue.
Larger lesions and those affecting underlying tissue and structures require more advanced treatment. Reconstruction may use advanced flap techniques to repair the excision wound and restore a more normal appearance.
Additional treatments to improve cure rates include radiation therapy.
Get detailed procedural information on skin cancer treatment.
Questions to ask my plastic surgeon
Use this checklist as a guide during your consultation
- Are you certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery?
- Were you specially trained in the field of plastic surgery?
- Do you have hospital privileges to perform this procedure? If so, at which hospitals?
- Is the office-based surgical facility accredited by a nationally or state recognized accrediting agency, or is state licensed or Medicare-certified?
- How many procedures of this type have you performed?
- Am I a good candidate for this procedure?
- What will be expected of me to get the best results?
- Where and how will you perform my procedure?
- What shape, size, surface texturing, incision site and placement site are recommended for me?
- How long of a recovery period can I expect, and what kind of help will I need during my recovery?
- What are the risks and complications associated with my procedure?
- How are complications handled?
- What are my options if I am dissatisfied with the cosmetic outcome of my surgery?
- Do you have before-and-after photos I can look at for each procedure and what results are reasonable for me?
Other Related Procedures
- Breast Reconstruction
- Breast reconstruction is achieved through several plastic surgery techniques that attempt to restore a breast to near normal shape, appearance and size following mastectomy.
- Breast Reduction
- Also known as reduction mammaplasty, breast reduction removes excess breast fat, glandular tissue and skin to achieve a breast size in proportion with your body and to alleviate the discomfort associated with overly large breasts.
- Cleft Lip and Palate
- A cleft, or separation of the upper lip and/or the roof of the mouth, occurs very early in the development of your unborn child. During fetal development, certain components of the upper lip and roof of the mouth fail to form normally. Cleft lip and cleft palate repair is a type of plastic surgery to correct this abnormal development both to restore function and to restore a more normal appearance.
- Hand Surgery
- Hand surgery can treat diseases that cause pain and impair the strength, function and flexibility of your wrist and fingers. Surgery seeks to restore to near normal the function of fingers and hands injured by trauma or to correct abnormalities that were present at birth. Specifically, hand surgery can treat carpal tunnel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and Dupuytren’s contracture.
- Scar Revision
- Scar revision surgery is meant to minimize a scar so that it is more consistent with your surrounding skin tone and texture. Although scar revision can provide a more pleasing cosmetic result or improve a scar that has healed poorly, a scar cannot be completely erased.
- Skin Cancer and Your Plastic Surgeon
- Understanding that treating your skin cancer may result in scars or disfigurement can be troubling. Your plastic surgeon will guide you through treatment and explain the resulting effect on your health and appearance. Your plastic surgeon can surgically remove cancerous and other skin lesions using specialized techniques to preserve your health and your appearance.
