10 Fun Facts About Plastic Surgery

Surgery is an art form, and for centuries, cultures have continued to perfect it. Over time, surgery started to expand from the medically necessary to the self-improvement variety. Just like any other invention, plastic surgery owes its roots to a number of different people and events that molded it into what it is today. Let’s take a look at some fun discoveries that helped shape modern plastic surgery!

1. The word plastic is derived from the Greek word “plasikos’ which means to mold. Plastic surgery is in fact the molding or reshaping of whatever area your surgery is going to target, so the name fits.
2. By the first century B.C, the Romans were practicing all types of plastic surgery. The Roman physician Cornelius Celsus even documents a procedure he performed that was similar to male breast reduction. Eureka! The first gynecomastia surgery.
3. The advancement of plastic surgery halted during the middle ages. These people found a surgeon spilling blood to be sinful and pagan.
4. The Italian surgeon Gaspare Tagliacozzi is widely recognized as the father of modern plastic surgery. He recognized the need for plastic surgery because of all the street fighting that took place in 1500’s Italy.
5. In the late 18th Century, British surgeons studied Indian plastic surgery techniques and brought them back to Europe.
6. In 1931, the surgeons who served in WWI started the American Association of Plastic Surgery to help curtail unregulated procedures.
7. WWII surgeons took things a step further and started experimenting with entire limb replacement, skin grafts and tissue regeneration. Without the findings from the war, plastic surgery would not be where it is today.
8. Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler actually used plastic surgery to create a more “perfect soldier.” They fixed drooping eyelids and anything that made a soldier appear weak.
9. In the 1960’s silicone breast implants started to become popular amongst American showgirls. They got the idea from Japanese surgeons who used silicone to plump up legs that were destroyed by polio.
10. In 2015, over 500,000 liposuction surgeries were performed on men and women in the United States.

Now that you know the history, it might be time to learn a little more about the plastic surgery process. If you’re interested in learning more about the procedures we offer, call Wall Street Cosmetic Surgery at 212-344-0496 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.