Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery

Plastic surgery covers reconstructive procedures (burns, trauma, cleft lip/palate, cancer, congenital differences, hand surgery) and cosmetic procedures (aesthetic). Both require a properly qualified plastic surgeon — the clearest safety question is training and credentials, not price.

Reconstructive — a major public-health role in India

• Burns reconstruction — after kitchen fires, cracker injuries, acid attacks, industrial burns.
• Cleft lip and palate repair — under NGO and government schemes at low/no cost.
• Post-cancer reconstruction — breast reconstruction after mastectomy; head and neck cancer reconstruction.
• Hand and limb surgery — nerve repair, tendon repair, replantation after amputation.
• Wound and pressure-sore care with advanced grafts and flaps.
• Paediatric reconstructions — syndactyly, hypospadias, microtia.

Cosmetic — realistic expectations matter most

• Common: rhinoplasty (nose), liposuction, breast augmentation/reduction, blepharoplasty (eyelids), face-lift, hair transplant, gynaecomastia surgery.
• Good results take good candidates, skilled surgeons, and realistic expectations. Unhappy patients are often those who expected magical transformations.
• Revision surgery is common — factor this into decisions.
• Photos can be edited; results vary. Ask to speak to patients the surgeon has operated on, not only pre-selected before/after photos.

Safety — non-negotiable

• Verify the surgeon's training — MCh Plastic Surgery from a recognised institution; National Medical Commission registration.
• Operate in a proper hospital with anaesthesia support — not a "clinic" without ICU back-up. Several deaths in India have been linked to cosmetic procedures in under-equipped day-clinics.
• General anaesthesia only by a qualified anaesthetist.
• Informed consent — in writing, in a language you understand.
• Avoid all-in-one "tourism packages" that combine surgery + "holiday" — recovery needs time and good post-op care.
• Avoid buffing, steroid-laced creams, injection clinics masquerading as plastic surgery.
• Black-market gluteal/breast filler injections have caused major complications including death — do not pursue outside registered surgical facilities.

Common safety warnings

• Stop smoking for 4 weeks before — dramatically improves wound healing.
• Stop hormonal contraceptive for 4 weeks before major surgery (DVT risk) — discuss alternatives.
• Avoid aspirin, NSAIDs, ginkgo, ginseng, garlic supplements for at least a week pre-op.
• Realistic recovery period — swelling and bruising take weeks; final result often 3–12 months later.